Letters to a Young Poet
Book description
Born in 1875, the great German lyric poet Rainer Maria Rilke published his first collection of poems in 1898 and went on to become renowned for his delicate depiction of the workings of the human heart. Drawn by some sympathetic note in his poems, young people often wrote to Rilke…
Why read it?
2 authors picked Letters to a Young Poet as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
There’s nothing in Letters to a Young Poet about craft, writer’s block, or any of the recognizable challenges faced by twenty-first-century writers. Yet this slender volume published more than a century ago speaks to writers everywhere and in every era, who so often work in isolation and, if they are to be true to their art and authentic within themselves, must rip open their souls and spill the contents onto the page without regard for others’ judgment and criticism. In fact, it speaks to anyone, non-writer as well as writer, whose sensitivity and feelings of not belonging make it sometimes…
From Mark's list on unlikely books to help you through creative blocks.
A slim classic from a 19th Century poet that is relevant still, for anyone writing poetry or prose. Rilke focuses on inner qualities of sensitivity, compassionate observation, and appreciation of intrinsic beauty in the world and in all people.
From Dinty's list on for inspiring beginning writers.
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