Letters to a Young Poet

€œthough they were written specifically toa young poet, rilkeâ€s words apply to everyone– especially to those who are attempting to doanything creative in their lives†â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â marc allen, author of a visionary life the ten letters that form this beautiful little book are some ofthe most famous letters ever written they range freely over avariety of subjects, from the dangers of an ironic worldview to thevalue of faith the reason they have proved to be so popular overthe years is that they are the work of a great soul; an expansiveand inspiring spirit pervades them for almost a hundred years, the voice that reached out to theaspiring artist with the most clarity and consolation was that ofrainer maria rilke how is it that such a slim book, written solong ago in a time very different from our own, still speaks to uswith such authority today? the answer lies in the simple fact thatthese letters are the result of a unique conjunction ofcircumstances that created an almost magical alchemy of thought andfeeling because of their depth of sentiment and sense of wisedetachment, readers often assume that they are the work of an olderman looking back on the struggles of youth but, in fact, theseletters were written between rilkeâ€stwenty-eighth and thirty-third years – duringwhich he was struggling to find himself artistically however, itis the great, overarching shadow of the french sculptor rodin thathelps lift rilkeâ€s insights from the profoundobservations of