Letters to a young poet is probably the book I gave away and recommended the most. It gathers Rainer Maria Rilke‘s responses to the creative and existential interrogations of a now forgotten young poet: Frantz Xaver Kappus. In 1903, the latter was a young officer at the Austro-Hungarian Empire military academy in Vienna. Torn between his military career and his love for poetry, he submitted his verses to Rilke, hoping to receive a final point of view on his work. But Rainer Maria Rilke, who at the age of 27 was already a respected writer, provided him with a much wider perspective. In fact if Rilke read Kappus’ verses and sometimes provided some elements of criticisms, he mainly forced Kappus to reflect on himself, his temper and his most deep aspirations.
I would not have guessed that the book‘s appeal would have survived my student neuroses… And yet … I still constantly refer to it: between two chapters, two books or during some of my sleepless nights too (no, not because it helps me fall asleep!). And arriving in Seoul, I was surprised to see myself seeking its company, like the old friend you usually seek advice from. As a matter of fact, leaving my very busy London life, I had to rebuild everything: make new friends, create new habits but also find a new job which turns out a lot more difficult than expected. And as happy as I was to have followed M., I had not prepared myself for a solitary life. A hyperactive banker, I was suddenly this new “desperate housewife” in the making, often misunderstood (Koreans speak little English and my Korean is very limited) and feeling very rejected (I am not considered top quality labor on the Korean job market: at almost 30 years one stays at home and take care of her children). In a nutshell, I was, best case scenario, on the verge of becoming a cynic… Re-reading Rilke, I did not have an epiphany. But more than one hundred years later, the May 14th letter which highlights how solitude is essential to self-comprehension and self-love, sounded utterly right. Rilke’s carefully chosen words gave some meaning and almost a structure to my solitude. I’m not sure that Kappus found the answers he expected. In effect, his questions about the quality of his writings went unheeded. However, in return, he received an itinerary to self achievement that we can all use.
No patronizing, no sentimentality, Rilke’s writing is clear and accomplished. Far from the condescending tone of all the self-help guides we never finish, gently but firmly, it forces you to reconsider yourself. Letters to a Young Poet is one of those precious companion-books that start or join the “ideal library”.
RILKE Rainer Maria, Letters to a Young Poet, 1987, Vintage Books USA, New-York
It is now available online here.
inmylibrary 