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folklorian13's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Did Rainer Maria Rilke just pat me on the back and tell me it’s gonna be fine??? Like, i’m not even a poet?
“Ihr innerstes Geschehen ist Ihrer ganzen Liebe wert, an ihm müssen Sie irgendwie arbeiten und nicht zu viel Zeit und zu viel Mut damit verlieren, Ihre Stellung zu den Menschen aufzuklären.”
“Und doch sind sie, diese Langevergangenen, in uns, als Anlage, als Last auf unserem Schicksal, als Blut, das rauscht, und als Gebärde, die aufsteigt aus den Tiefen der Zeit.”
“Wir haben keinen Grund, gegen unsere Welt Misstrauen zu haben, denn sie ist nicht gegen uns. Hat sie Schrecken, so sind es unsere Schrecken, hat sie Abgründe, so gehören diese Abgründe uns, sind Gefahren da, so müssen wir versuchen, sie zu lieben. (…) Vielleicht ist alles Schreckliche im tiefsten Grunde das Hilflose, das von uns Hilfe will.”
“Ihr innerstes Geschehen ist Ihrer ganzen Liebe wert, an ihm müssen Sie irgendwie arbeiten und nicht zu viel Zeit und zu viel Mut damit verlieren, Ihre Stellung zu den Menschen aufzuklären.”
“Und doch sind sie, diese Langevergangenen, in uns, als Anlage, als Last auf unserem Schicksal, als Blut, das rauscht, und als Gebärde, die aufsteigt aus den Tiefen der Zeit.”
“Wir haben keinen Grund, gegen unsere Welt Misstrauen zu haben, denn sie ist nicht gegen uns. Hat sie Schrecken, so sind es unsere Schrecken, hat sie Abgründe, so gehören diese Abgründe uns, sind Gefahren da, so müssen wir versuchen, sie zu lieben. (…) Vielleicht ist alles Schreckliche im tiefsten Grunde das Hilflose, das von uns Hilfe will.”
kofireads29's review against another edition
5.0
Great advice for any young artist out there. Here are the top three lessons I learned from this book
1. Look for answers inside of yourself
2. Embrace Solitude for higher creativity
3. Be patient and grow as a artist slowly
4. Let everything happen to you, the beauty and the terror
1. Look for answers inside of yourself
2. Embrace Solitude for higher creativity
3. Be patient and grow as a artist slowly
4. Let everything happen to you, the beauty and the terror
larajuliette_c's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
This book has come to me at exactly the right time in my life. A must-read for anyone desperately grasping for a creative life in the tumult of expectations and pressures of our capitalistic society. Reading this felt like a clarifying breath of fresh air and validation.
Haven’t read any of Rilke’s poetry but this little book makes me want to seek some out now!
Haven’t read any of Rilke’s poetry but this little book makes me want to seek some out now!
lavrendy's review against another edition
3.0
I put this one on my list when bell hooks listed it as one of her biggest inspirations to write when she was a teenager. It’s apparent even from the title how this would fuel young creatives and each is page brimming with beautiful meditations on life, love, solitude, and hope.
Some parts were a bit too preachy for my taste, especially the ones that discussed womanhood (something I don’t think men ever have many helpful insights on.) The prose read similarly to scripture, likely because of how religious the author was, and I found myself thinking back on how vigorously I would search for guidance and comfort as a teenager. Imagine if we all had a wise mentor to correspond with about loneliness and hating our jobs!
If I had personally received these letters in my teens or even early 20s I would have eaten up every word. But reading this at 26, as someone that’s accepted that I prefer reading over writing, I was able to savor the few bites that resonated and disregard the opinions I disagreed with. (I recognize that 26 is young and I still know nothing about life or anything really haha. But! I’m confident enough now in what I believe that I don’t have to buy everything someone says just because they’re older, famous, etc.)
All that being said, this review is basically longer than the book itself so it’s worth a read lol.
Some parts were a bit too preachy for my taste, especially the ones that discussed womanhood (something I don’t think men ever have many helpful insights on.) The prose read similarly to scripture, likely because of how religious the author was, and I found myself thinking back on how vigorously I would search for guidance and comfort as a teenager. Imagine if we all had a wise mentor to correspond with about loneliness and hating our jobs!
If I had personally received these letters in my teens or even early 20s I would have eaten up every word. But reading this at 26, as someone that’s accepted that I prefer reading over writing, I was able to savor the few bites that resonated and disregard the opinions I disagreed with. (I recognize that 26 is young and I still know nothing about life or anything really haha. But! I’m confident enough now in what I believe that I don’t have to buy everything someone says just because they’re older, famous, etc.)
All that being said, this review is basically longer than the book itself so it’s worth a read lol.
dillydallyallie's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
5.0
coffeequasars's review against another edition
3.0
(3,25/5)
I'll have to read this a couple more times to fully grasp the essence of these letters (if that's even possible), but I think the main message is that solitude is the key to existing in this world.
I'll have to read this a couple more times to fully grasp the essence of these letters (if that's even possible), but I think the main message is that solitude is the key to existing in this world.
carlabarros's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0