Letters to a Young Painter

by Rainer Maria Rilke, Damion Searls (Translator), Rachel Corbett (Introduction)

Never before translated into English, Rainer Maria Rilke’s fascinating Letters to a Young Painter, written toward the end of his life between 1920 and 1926, is a surprising companion to his infamous Letters to a Young Poet, earlier correspondence from 1902 to 1908. While the latter has become a global phenomenon, with millions of copies sold in many different languages, the present volume has been largely overlooked.

In these eight intimate letters written to a teenage Balthus—who would go on to become one of the leading artists of his generation—Rilke describes the challenges he faced, while opening the door for the young painter to take himself and his work seriously. Rilke’s constant warmth, his ability to sense in advance his correspondent’s difficulties and propose solutions to them, and his sensitivity as a person and an artist come across in these charming and honest letters.

Writing during his aged years, this volume paints a picture of the venerable poet as he faced his mortality, through the perspective of hindsight, and continued to embrace his openness towards other creative individuals. With an introduction by Rachel Corbett, author of You Must Change Your Life: The Story of Rainer Maria Rilke and Auguste Rodin (2016), this book is a must-have for Rilke’s admirers, young and old, and all aspiring artists.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Poetry, Classics, Art Design

65 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1945

About the author

A mystic lyricism and precise imagery often marked verse of German poet Rainer Maria Rilke, whose collections profoundly influenced 20th-century German literature and include The Book of Hours (1905) and The Duino Elegies (1923).

People consider him of the greatest 20th century users of the language.

His haunting images tend to focus on the difficulty of communion with the ineffable in an age of disbelief, solitude, and profound anxiety — themes that tend to position him as a transitional figure between the traditional and the modernist poets.

His two most famous sequences include the Sonnets to Orpheus , and his most famous prose works include the Letters to a Young Poet and the semi-autobiographical The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge .

He also wrote more than four hundred poems in French, dedicated to the canton of Valais in Switzerland, his homeland of choice.

Reviews

[Uma Hørder]

A nice and short book.
Not riveting (narratively/ philosophically/ emotionally) like Letters to a Young Poet is said to be, but nonetheless contains pockets of beautiful ideas and phrases.
It revolves around Rilke’s relationship to a young Polish painter Balthus, and the pair’s collaborative publication of Balthus’ book Mitsou- a collection of ink drawings about the loss of his cat.

“A loss… has no power over possession… it affirms it; but ultimately it is a second acquisition, entirely inward this time, and far more intense.” - There is no longer a “loss” if that which was “possessed” was possessed by an artist.

[Rytas Sakas]

Rule of thumb: if something can be published as an article in JSTOR, don't print it out as a book.

[Mehrshad Zarei]

اکنون که درمورد این کتاب می‌نویسم، نامه‌های ریلکه به شاعر جوان را دست کم چهار بار خوانده‌ام. این کتاب هم نه نام مشابه‌‌اش با کتاب قبلی بلکه به دلیل نام ریلکه تهیه کردم و خواندم. ریلکه نامه‌ها به شاعر را وقتی نوشت که حدود ۲۷ سال داشت یعنی خودش جوان بود. اما این نامه‌ها به نقاش را تقریبا دو دهه بعد نوشت. اما اگر بخواهیم این دو کتاب را از روی نامشان مقایسه کنیم با تفاوت فاحش و دور از انتظاری مواجه می‌شیم. کتاب اول که سال‌هاست در بازار نشر ایران موجود است سرشار از شاعرانگی و حرف‌هایی عمیق درباره‌ی زندگی، تنهایی، آمیزش و مرگ است و این مقوله‌های عظیم را چنان در جملاتی کوتاه و گذرا بازگو می‌کند که آدم انگشت حیرت بر دهان می‌گذارد. اما در این کتاب که به تازگی روانه‌ی بازار نشر ایران شده با ریلکه‌ای مواجه می‌شویم که درمورد جشن تولد دوستش، فرار گربه از خانه‌اش و تلاش نافرجامش برای بازگشت به آن صحبت می‌کند و مجموعه‌ای است از احوال‌پرسی‌ها و تعریف و تمجیدهای بی‌پایان... شبیه نویسنده‌ای خلع سلاح شده و دور از انتظار...
و چنین نامه‌هایی بیشتر جنبه‌ی شخصی دارند و خواندنش برای عموم چندان توفیری ندارد و چاپ و ترجمه ی آن ها چیزی جز کتاب سازی نیست...

[amelie mcintosh]

Nothing particularly profound stood out to me in this, but could also be in part due to translation (I wish it was possible to read every book in full understanding of it’s origin language)

[Mike]

2.5 stars. A bit of a bait-and-switch for anyone hoping this would impart the same aesthetic philosophy and wisdom as Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet. These are trifling notes to schoolboy Balthus on his birthday and in preparation for Rilke to write a preface on his collection of cat sketches, Mitsou. Rilke’s preface is included, which is far more interesting than the handful of letters. An introduction and a scholarly afterword pad out the book. The publishers would have done better (and been more honest with readers) to title and market this book as "Rilke on cats." Better yet: it could have worked as a nice introduction to a reprint of Blathus’ Mitsou. As it stands, this is just for Rilke completists who have read most everything else that has been published by his hand.

[Shreya]

I love cats.

[Lauren]

Published for the first time in English, Letters to a Young Painter was written towards the end of Rilke’s life. Not as powerful as Letters to a Young Poet, the two make an excellent set and show how Rilke’s thoughts evolved and matured over the course of his adult life. Recommended.

[Kate]

I read this book in 24 minutes. The letters themselves are pretty light on material—the author seems to spend most of his time having his mind blown over how his acquaintance has a leap year birthday—but then there's a nice 20 pages or so about how cats are great. I agree with this sentiment.

[Molsa Roja(s)]

Quite a caprice for its length and price, it is nonetheless a beautiful edition of some letters to Balthusz Klossowski from the extraordinary Rilke. I must say the letters themselves aren't part of the magical prose Rilke used us to; they are more valuable, perhaps, as an historical document, an intimate one. I loved the introduction on Rilke and Rodin, and of course to find out, too, that Pierre Klossowski was recommended to André Gide from Rilke. What an extraordinary time to be alive.

[GEM]

To see Rilke (not just to read) as a mentor, a family member, and a friend—but make no mistake, this is a book about cats. Unlike Letters to a Young Poet, Rilke is not speaking to everyone. He is speaking to Balthus the young painter, and we can voyeuristically glean loving sentiments to apply to our own lives as if we have someone who loves the possibility of us like the love Rilke has for Balthus. To be believed in and to be encouraged (key word for Rilke’s encouragement of courage) and to have Rilke read over Balthus’s work and show him meaning (there are no cats), I revel in this devotion between poet-teacher and adored student.

[Mel]

Well that was disappointing! I loved letters to a poet, one of the reasons I want to learn German is so I can read Rilke in the original. I was expecting a tiny book, but I wasn't excpecting a handful of letters about a child's birthday. It really didn't feel like it was worth the effort. They should have just included it as an appendix somewhere. The prologue to the cat book was nice, but also at 5 pages, not quite worth buying an entire book for. I bought this as a present for a friend but I don't think I'll end up giving it them as not really worth it.

[Pascal Ross]

really loved everything going on in this book,, the talk of relationships and practice and how these both affect each other, also loved the sharing of knowledge coming from a place of love. i actually just wish the actual letters he had written were a bit better haha. also just wish everything was explored a bit further but maybe i should just look more into rilke

[Maria Fernanda]

THIS IS NOTHING LIKE LETTERS TO A YOUNG POET. That being said, it's a charming quick read.
The letters are personal and there's nothing insightful about them.
but the introduction and rilke's preface are very nice to read.
you can probably read those in the bookstore, not a worthy purchase.

[Carol Watt]

A beautiful little book; very different from Letters To A Young Poet, but worthy of a read for all lovers of Rilke.

[Kiely]

painting and Rilke and cats, what more could I ask for?

short & sweet lil book picked up at the LACMA in California <3

[Katri]

It was good but not as good as Letters to a young poet

[Nicolas Anhalzer]

Beautiful book. Prose flows from Rilke like water from a river, very seamless.

[Ana]

Maravilloso, como siempre. Empecé esta lectura con miedo de que no llegase al nivel de cartas a un joven poeta, y en cierta medida, no lo ha hecho es cierto.

No tiene esa carga filosófica, de consejo, de esas que te hacen replantearte como has estado viviendo, algo que Rilke hace muy bien.

Sin embargo me ha parecido tan absolutamente tierno ver a Rilke en esta figura de padre, que más que considerarse padre, se considera amigo y no deja que Balthus lo olvide. No hay mayor admirador de tu trabajo que un padre, de eso estoy segura, me recuerda al mio.

Pero ese prefacio, no se si me gusta incluso más que la propia correspondencia en si!!! Increíble, precioso!!

Rilke tiene una forma de escribir que te da ganas de escribir a ti.

Siento una ternura muy especial por él.



“So, my dear Balthus, bon courage! Winter will soon be over, and bright new ideas always return with the spring, and you emerge from under the Berlin clouds? All the best to Pierre. I'm glad I chose something to his taste when I sent him the little Gide book. As ever, my dear partner in bookmaking, I remain your friend”

——

“Finding. Losing. Have you truly considered what it means to lose something? It is not simply the negation of that other, generous moment that answered an expectation you never suspected you had. For between that moment and the loss there always comes what we call— however clumsily, I agree-possession.
Now a loss, however cruel it may be, has no power over possession. It ends the possession, if you wish; it affirms it; but ultimately it is a second acquisition, entirely inward this time, and far more intense.

You yourself have realized this, Baltusz—no longer seeing Mitsou, you truly set about seeing him.
Is Mitsou still alive? Well, he lives on in you, and his joy, that of a frisky little kitten, after once having entertained you, now compels you: you have had to express it by means of your painstaking sadness. And so, a year later, I found you had grown bigger, and were consoled.

Still, for those who will always see you bathed in tears atthe end of your book, I composed the first, somewhat fanciful part of this preface. To be able to tell them at the end: "Don't worry: I am. Baltusz exists. Our world
is whole.
There are no cats."

[Ching Lam]

Rachel Corbett sums it up rather brilliantly in her Intro, "These two collections bookend Rilke's life". In contrast to "Young Poet" (correspondence from age 27), we hear from a far more loving Rilke (of self, of Baladine and of Balthus) in "Young Painter" (from age ~45); he seems to me, Kafka-esque, in the best and tenderest of ways.

This book doubles finely as a meditation on what it means to live/create as an "amateur" and as a wonderful piece of Ekphrasis. Of the works referenced, I'd love to see the King of Cats'—Balthus'—"Cat at the Mirror", Auguste Rodin's "The Thinker"; must also look into "Narcissus" by Valéry and Rilke; works of Cocteau and Charles Vildrac.

Final thoughts: "replace my name everywhere with yours" is a beautiful charge; another comforting thought: "Now a loss, however cruel it may be, has no power over possession. It ends the possession, if you wish; it affirms it; but ultimately it is a second acquisition, entirely inward this time, and far more intense."

[Anneke]

I found the literary criticism and historical background provided in this book to be far more interesting than the writing itself. I probably should have started with Letters to a Young Poet instead of this, but I don’t particularly regret it either. That being said, I am feeling interested now to check out more of Rilke’s work, both writing and visual, as well as Balthus’ Mitsou series. I have a feeling that Rilke and Carlos Monsaváis would be brought together as friends through their mutual love of cats :-)

[Dave Rush]

In this book we see a side of the author that is tender and caring. He explains to the young artist the importance of praise, following one’s talent, and being kind to one’s self. As a reader I think part of my issue is limited knowledge of the poet. While I appreciate the neverending praise of his importance, having not read his works, a few pages of letters and an ode to cats was a bit of an oddity for me to really feel motivated to love this text. While I agree with his philosophy towards education and his ideas of praise, overall it was a bit of a dull read.

[HASTISTIC]

هرچی فکر میکنم نمیفهمم چرا این نامه ها کتاب شدن. واقعا نمیتونم دلیلی براش پیدا کنم. اگه این نام هها بخشی از کتاب نامه های ریلکه بود خیلی هم عالی میشد ولی اینکه تبدیل شده به یک کتاب جداگانه واقعا برام غیرقابل درکه. کتاب letters to a young poet یه ورژن قابل درک از این اتفاقه که واقعا بینظیره. و میدونم خیلی دارم حرف میزنم ولی اینم بگم که این کتاب به زبان فارسی ترجمه شده و من دیروز کم مونده بود بخرمش. خوشحالم نخریدمش و واقعا نمیدونم هدف مترجم چی بود وقتی اینهمه نوشته از ریلکه هست که به فارسی ترجمه نشده.

[Laura]

They say lightning does not strike twice, and in this case they're spot on. The charm, the magic of Letters to a Young Poet does not carry over all those years later that Rilke wrote to a different young man, seemingly with a whole different world view that he espoused prior.

[Marios Alexandrou]

Nowhere near the Letter to a Young Poet. There seems to be some symbolism and glimpses of the Rilke’s genius but only glimpses of it.
Rainer Maria Rilke will always be a genius and is definitely worth the read as a piece extracted from this poet and novelist - but I guess my expectations were very high

[Pablo]

Rilke, at the end of his life, encouraging Balthus to begin his artistic path at an early age. It is not a list of recommendations, lessons or essays on how to launch a career. Rather, the gentle words of support of a mentor to a pupil in which scattered pills of wisdom can be found. And, overall, an overflowing amount of passion.

[Emma]

Rilke is such a clown wtf. such a man moment to leave your wife and kids and then send beautiful and tender letters to your new piece's young painter son. very slight book which I think was maybe merciful.
4/10

[Kendall Gill]

fabulous. especially loved the ‘Preface to Mitsou: Forty Images by Baltusz. Speaks to creativity (panting and writing), and cats.

My friend Tin gave me this book for my birthday and all the fabulous birthday letters from Rilke to Baltusz were exceptionally sweet.

[Ellie]

some good stuff at end; too many cats

[Mark Mateo]

Ecce Homo - behold the man. The task of the artist is to behold himself.

[Kelly Phillips]

Mostly about cats.