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Overall Summary
Published in 1929, Letters to a Young Poet (Briefe an einen jungen Dichter) is a collection of letters written by the famous German poet Rainer Maria Rilke. The letters were originally written to Franz Xaver Kappus, who was 19 and at a military university when he first wrote to the poet asking whether his poems were any good. The letters are full of succinct advice on being honest with oneself and garnering the courage to follow one’s creative career. They continue to be a huge influence on American thinkers and artists, from the Harvard scholar Lewis Hyde to pop star Lady Gaga, who has an oft-quoted passage from the work on her bicep.
The themes of the book include loyalty to one’s creative vision, how poetry is an apprenticeship, and a fulfilling life. The author also discusses solitude in writing. Rainer Maria Rilke wrote letters to a friend over two years while travelling in Italy, Switzerland, and France.
Franz and Rainer attended the same university, so Franz felt he had a point of introduction with Rainer. Rilke’s first response is from Paris on February 17, 1903. He writes that criticism isn’t necessary for an artist to be successful; they should listen to themselves instead of trying to please others. A poem is good when the poet feels that it derives from necessity; at that point, they won’t feel the need to ask other people for their opinions on its merit.
The author says that Franz’s poems are good, but they show a clear influence of Germany’s leading poets. He tells him to go deeper into himself and find his true self. The best poems come from connecting with one’s truest nature. This is most difficult to accomplish in well-trodden images, such as love poetry. Thus, Franz should write about his personal surroundings even when it seems that the images aren’t majestic enough for a poem.
The second letter is from Italy. Rilke apologizes for the delay in response and mentions that he has been ill. He then goes on to say that he has read Franz’s work, and offers two bits of advice: firstly, don’t use irony too much; secondly, have some steady works of literature at hand when writing so you can flip through them whenever you experience writer’s block (i.e., a stall in your creative process). For instance, Rilke will flip through the Bible when experiencing this sort of problem with his own writing.
The fourth letter is one of the most famous ones. Franz, a young poet from Germany, asks for advice about his love life and career prospects. Rilke suggests that he can channel his angst into poetry by writing more often since only in loneliness can one be totally honest with oneself.
Rilke writes about the beauty of Rome in detail. He says that if one can’t find anything beautiful where they live, then it is their own fault and no one else’s. The world has so much to offer, and people should never be bored because there are things around them to see all day long.
In the seventh letter, Rilke praises Franz’s latest sonnet. He says that there is improvement in the young poet’s work and he should continue on this path because his work is increasingly something only Franz could make. The real aim of writing poetry is to express one’s truest self and it is important for poets to know themselves well enough to be able to do that. To call attention to what the young poet has accomplished in the poem, Rilke transcribes Franz’s sonnet on a blank sheet of paper then sends it back with comments. He says that this can help people become more aware of their own identity by seeing how they appear through someone else’s eyes.
