Rainer Maria Rilke

Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926) was a Bohemian-Austrian poet and novelist, celebrated for his profound and lyrical poetry. His most notable works include the "Duino Elegies," a series of ten elegies written between 1912 and 1922, and "Sonnets to Orpheus," composed in 1922. Rilke's "The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge," published in 1910, is a semi-autobiographical novel that captures his existential explorations and innovative narrative style. His ability to blend rich imagery with deep philosophical insights set him apart in modernist literature. Rilke's correspondence, especially his letters to Franz Xaver Kappus, was posthumously published as "Letters to a Young Poet" in 1929, offering invaluable advice to aspiring writers. He died on December 29, 1926, in Switzerland.