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"Letters To A Young Poet" by Rainer Maria Rilke is a prosaic work, but it refers directly to poetry. There are ten letters written to a young man about to enter the German military.
In the very beginning of the 1903, Rilke received a letter from a twenty-year old lieutenant of Austro-Hungarian army Franz Kappus. Verses were enclosed to the letter: the lieutenant turned out to be a poet. Rilke answered. Rilke wrote Franz Kappus ten letters; the last of them is dated by December 1908. After Rilke's death, the letters were published in a separate book entitled "Letters To A Young Poet". Of all Rilke's extensive correspondence, these letters won the greatest popularity. It is explained by their content: there is nothing personal or private in them; Rilke wrote about the poetry, nature of poetic works, irony, loneliness, love etc. His philosophy-aesthetic views of that time are well reflected in these letters.
About the author
Rainer Maria Rilke (December 4, 1875-December 29, 1926) was an Austrian poet and writer. Known for his lyrically potent work, he combined subjective mysticism with precise observation of the objective world. At the time of his death, Rilke's work was incredibly admired by certain circles of European artists, but mostly unknown to the public. Since then, his popularity has grown steadily, and he has come to be universally regarded as a master of verse.
