At the start of the twentieth century, Rainer Maria Rilke wrote a series of letters to a young officer cadet, offering advice on writing, love,...

At the start of the twentieth century, Rainer Maria Rilke wrote a series of letters to a young officer cadet, offering advice on writing, love, sex, suffering, and the very nature of advice itself. These profound and lyrical letters have since become hugely influential among writers and artists of all kinds.

This book also includes Letter from a Young Worker, a striking polemic against Christianity written in the form of a letter near the end of Rilke’s life.

In his introduction, Lewis Hyde explores the context in which these letters were written and how Rilke embraced his isolation as a creative force. Charlie Louth’s afterword discusses the similarities and contrasts between the two works, as well as Rilke’s religious and sexual wordplay.

This edition also includes a chronology, notes, and suggested further reading.