» Letters to a Young Poet is my bible. Someone gave it to me when I started acting. I read it over and over again.« Dustin Hoffman

In 1902, Rainer Maria Rilke received a letter from a young man, Franz Xaver Kappus, a 19-year-old officer cadet with a talent for literature. Kappus was unsure which direction to take in life and therefore sought advice from the great poet, who was only a few years his senior. Instead of settling for a simple answer, Rilke followed up with a profound and detailed explanation of why it is so tempting-and also so harmful-to rely on the opinions and advice of others when one wishes to become the person one truly is. While the views of others can point one in a direction, according to Rilke, they distract from one's own true calling.

The collection of Rilke's letters, published in 1929, marked an era and has inspired entire generations time and again. Even if you feel no inclination to become a poet, the advice to align every aspect of your life with the meaning you wish to give it is deeply empowering. It is a simple encouragement to overcome the hardest things in life in order to become who you are.

Im Jahr 1902 erhält Rainer Maria Rilke Post von einem jungen Mann, Franz Xaver Kappus, einem literarisch begabten, 19-jährigen Offiziersanwärter. Kappus ist sich nicht sicher, welche Richtung er in seinem Leben einschlagen soll, und fragt daher den großen, nur wenige Jahre älteren Dichter um Rat. Rilke antwortet ihm - auf gänzlich unerwartete Weise. In den folgenden Jahren schreibt ihm Rilke neun weitere Briefe. Sie reden, mit der ihm eigenen bescheidenen Eindringlichkeit, von nichts Geringerem als dem richtigen Leben.Die von Kappus 1929 herausgegebene Sammlung der Rilke-Briefe hat Epoche gemacht und ganze Generationen immer wieder von Neuem inspiriert. Hier wird sie in der neuen, modernen Übersetzung von dem Rilke-Kenner Ulrich Baer vorgelegt.

»Letters to a Young Poet is my bible. Someone gave it to me when I started acting. I read it over and over again.«