Rilke: The Last Inward Man

by Lesley Chamberlain

An incisive and intimate account of the life and work of the great poet Rilke, exploring the rich interior world he created in his poetry

When Rilke died in 1926, his reputation as a great poet seemed secure. But as the tide of the critical avant-garde turned, he was increasingly dismissed as apolitical, the angels and roses of his poems deemed irrelevant.

In The Last Inward Man , acclaimed writer Lesley Chamberlain uses this charge as the starting point from which to explore the expansiveness of the inner world Rilke created in his poetry.

Weaving together searching insights on Rilke's life, work, and reputation, Chamberlain casts the poet's inwardness as a profound response to a world that seemed to be losing its spirituality.

In works of dazzling imagination and rich imagery, Rilke sought to restore value to Western materialism, encouraging not narrow introversion but the cultivation of a new sensibility in a secular world after the death of God.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Biography

320 pages, Paperback

Published September 26, 2023

Reviews

[Sikato]

This is not a biography, not quite criticism but really exegesis and more accurately an appreciation of Rainer Maria Rilke.. The author loves this poet. He is an "angel", in the presence of whose work "you must change your life". She writes "Rilke—and I’m not the first to think this—was possibly given to us to help us withstand Wittgenstein." Possibly? Given to us by who? Presumably by God. Rilke is not explicitly called a god, yet God, "like Rilke, has difficulty breaking through to a shared reality." The worship of the poet keeps on in every page, and can tire the more cynical readers. More importantly, it gets in the way of interesting analysis, of which there is plenty.

Connecting and parallel lines are drawn between Rilke and Arnold Schoenberg, Freud, T. S. Eliot, W. H. Auden, Jean Paul Sartre and various painters. Darwin's name serves as a kind of antagonist throughout the book, with the feeling behind the poetry being presented as an antithesis if not a reaction to the meaning of evolution by means of natural selection. There's no technical analysis, but there are enough linguistic observations to keep the nerdier reader's interest.

The Last Inward Man is not a book for anyone new to Rilke, or for anyone looking to overcome an existing indifference to Rilke. Lovers of Rilke, this one's for you.

[Bernie Gourley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book surveys the influences on Rainer Maria Rilke’s poetry, and makes the argument that Rilke was the last vestige of a mystically spiritual [Romantic or Romantic-esque] poetic line. Poetry was becoming more political and more influenced by nihilistic philosophies that eschewed inward investigations of meaning and self-realization, constructs that were seen as artificial and empty. Rilke bucked the trend, and while he did become an important poet, Chamberlain believes he paid a price.

The book discusses the influence of sexuality, spirituality, and artistic obsessions on Rilke’s poetry in great detail. It also talks about his life as an influence, both his family life (or lack, thereof) and the key years he spent in Paris. The last couple chapters tie the story together by clarifying what Rilke achieved and how it contrasted with prevailing trends.

If you’re interested in understanding more about the philosophical and spiritual forces impacting Rilke’s work, this is an interesting read. It’s not a biography, strictly speaking, but does unavoidably discuss Rilke’s life in some detail (though always through a literary / philosophical lens.)

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a bit out of my depth with this one as I clearly wasn’t the intended reader. I have read little of Rilke’s work and this passionately argued and in depth and insightful analysis of his poetry is obvious written for someone with far more knowledge than me. However, I did learn from it, gleaned at least some understanding, and although the author’s admiration for Rilke’s poetry sometimes made me feel I was reading a hagiography rather than a critical study, the book did provide me with many insights into both the work and inner life, and were I to read more of the poetry at some point this is definitely a book I would read again.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am often amused by claims such as that Rilke was the "last inward man". I think there probably many inward persons Rilke, but it is a good hook, I guess. Wanting to read a straight biography, I was disappointed. Instead, Ms. Chamberlain presents biographical glimpses with analysis. I will concede Rilke came at the end of the romance movement in Europe, but it didn't end with him.