Letters to a Young Poet
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Letters To A Young Poet is a very influential compilation of letters by Rainer Maria Rilke. It consists of 10 letters (a five year correspondence) written to a young man considering entering the German military. His name was Franz Kappus, he was 19 years old, and he wrote to Rilke looking for guidance and a critique of some of his poems. Rilke was himself only 27 when the first letter was written.
Although the first letter from Kappus asked for literary criticism, Rilke gave him very little during their correspondence. He also discouraged Kappus from reading criticism, advising the boy to trust his inner judgement.
The majority of the letters respond to personal issues which Kappus revealed to Rilke; their span is tremendous. A plethora of topics, (including atheism, loneliness, sex, and career choices,) makes Letters to a Young Poet a coming-of-age narrative which, remarkably, remains relevant to people of all ages.
