Rilke belongs to the handful of poets whose writings have had a shaping influence on the cultures of Modernity, and this year marks the 150th anniversary of his birth (1875 – 1926).
Already a bestselling poet and writer during his lifetime, his influence has grown exponentially over the century since his death. Many readers will remember the epiphanies they experienced when they read his Letters to a Young Poet in which he famously advised us not to seek answers but rather dare to “live the questions.”
His poems—from his early Book of Hours (1905) to his last two collections, The Sonnets to Orpheus and The Duino Elegies (1923)—do just this: they invite us to live courageously and faithfully into what he described as “the Open”; to embrace the mysteries that are always found “in everything,” close at hand; and, to accept the “here-and-once-ness” of this life as an invitation to praise.
Together, we will explore what Rilke meant that the foundation of our life is that we belong to what he came to call “the Whole,” on the basis of which he reminds us to “desire the change” and live into its generous promise.
Join us to explore a Rilke’s poems and writings with award-winning translator, poet, and Rilke scholar Mark S. Burrows.
We will offer this day in person and online.
For those at the Centre in London, we are offering a light supper afterwards to be together and eat and talk.
