{"product_id":"letters-to-a-young-poet-9780674052451","title":"Letters to a Young Poet","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn 1902, a nineteen-year-old aspiring poet named Franz Kappus wrote to Rilke, then twenty-six, seeking advice on his poetry. Kappus, a student at a military academy in Vienna similar to the one Rilke had attended, was about to embark on a career as an officer, for which he had little inclination. Touched by the innocence and forthrightness of the student, Rilke responded to Kappus' letter and began an intermittent correspondence that would last until 1908. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eLetters to a Young Poet\u003c\/i\u003e collects the ten letters that Rilke wrote to Kappus. A book often encountered in adolescence, it speaks directly to the young. Rilke offers unguarded thoughts on such diverse subjects as creativity, solitude, self-reliance, living with uncertainty, the shallowness of irony, the uselessness of criticism, career choices, sex, love, God, and art. Lette\u003ci\u003ers to a Young Poet \u003c\/i\u003eis, finally, a life manual. Art, Rilke tells the young poet in his final letter to him, is only another way of living. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWith the same artistry that marks his widely acclaimed translations of Kafka's \u003ci\u003eThe Castle \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Amerika: The Missing Person, \u003c\/i\u003e Mark Harman captures the lyrical and spiritual dimensions of Rilke's prose. In his introduction, he provides biographical contexts for the reader and discusses the challenges of translating Rilke. This lovely hardcover edition makes a perfect gift for any young person starting out in life or for those interested in finding a clear articulation of Rilke's thoughts on life and art.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Harvard University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/18\/2011\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780674052451\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 112\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.34lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 6.68h x 4.75w x 0.57d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/10\/2013 pg. 40\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eReference and Research Bk News\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/01\/2011 pg. 193\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Rainer Maria Rilke","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42924885999797,"sku":"9780674052451","price":13.56,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_ee2bd953-187e-4a13-a7c4-3cf8a32b9055.jpg?v=1687840609","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/letters-to-a-young-poet-9780674052451","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}