1875 -
1926
Born
December 4, 1875 in
Prague, Rilke was a romantic
poet. His early work is brooding and self-centered, but after he moved to
Paris and worked under
Rodin, he gained an intense interest in
work and in
things.
Some of his famous works are his
New Poems, the
Duino Elegies, and the
Sonnets to Orpheus. I was introduced to his work through his
Letters to a Young Poet, a collection of ... well, just what it says. He also wrote a novel called
The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge.
Interesting fact: His mother wanted a girl and dressed him in girl's clothing for as long as she could get away with it.
another Interesting fact: He changed his name from René to Rainer at the urging of Lou Andreas-Salomé, when they were lovers.
He wrote his own epitaph:
Rose, oh pure contradiction, joy
of being No-one's sleep under so many
lids.