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tolkientoyou's review against another edition
5.0
"... E do teu coração repleto de refúgio / tiraste um espaço mais humano"
Rendida ao Rainer Maria Rilke.
Rendida ao Rainer Maria Rilke.
lottpoet's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
ablaine's review against another edition
3.0
Castle Boy Poetry
For scholars of Rainer Maria Rilke, I'm sure this is a much anticipated reissue of these 90-year-old English translations of his German poems. That's confirmed by the nearly 8,000 ratings this book has here on Goodreads in November of 2021 before it's even been published.
As someone who has been moved by readings of Rilke's poems in both English and German, I was surprised that I didn't get more out of reading these poems to myself. Perhaps I'm not schooled enough in early 20th-century poetry or I'm not Rilke's target audience, which arguably was people who had friends with castles or who owned castles themselves.
Rilke wrote these poems while staying in various castles, including the Castle of Duino, which gives this collection of 10 elegies their name. The new introduction from critic Lesley Chamberlain explains why cousins Edward and Vita Sackville-West are superior translators of these poems, not only for their knowledge of the German language and the nuances of early 20th-century English language, but also because they each owned castles. I mean what are the chances? Rilke himself died in a castle, despite not having the pleasure of owning one.
This book also includes the original translators' note from the 1931 edition, and even at that time, the Sackville-Wests described Rilke's poetry as "abstruse and elusive." So I guess, don't feel bad if some of this language is especially inaccessible 90 years later. If you're not a Rilke scholar of some sort, I recommend reading the introduction and translators' note to learn some more context about the poet and this edition. I would also recommend reading Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet for his musings on creative life, which I found to be far more accessible and surprisingly relatable in today's context.
I voluntarily obtained a digital version of this book free from Netgalley and Pushkin Press in exchange for an honest review.
For scholars of Rainer Maria Rilke, I'm sure this is a much anticipated reissue of these 90-year-old English translations of his German poems. That's confirmed by the nearly 8,000 ratings this book has here on Goodreads in November of 2021 before it's even been published.
As someone who has been moved by readings of Rilke's poems in both English and German, I was surprised that I didn't get more out of reading these poems to myself. Perhaps I'm not schooled enough in early 20th-century poetry or I'm not Rilke's target audience, which arguably was people who had friends with castles or who owned castles themselves.
Rilke wrote these poems while staying in various castles, including the Castle of Duino, which gives this collection of 10 elegies their name. The new introduction from critic Lesley Chamberlain explains why cousins Edward and Vita Sackville-West are superior translators of these poems, not only for their knowledge of the German language and the nuances of early 20th-century English language, but also because they each owned castles. I mean what are the chances? Rilke himself died in a castle, despite not having the pleasure of owning one.
This book also includes the original translators' note from the 1931 edition, and even at that time, the Sackville-Wests described Rilke's poetry as "abstruse and elusive." So I guess, don't feel bad if some of this language is especially inaccessible 90 years later. If you're not a Rilke scholar of some sort, I recommend reading the introduction and translators' note to learn some more context about the poet and this edition. I would also recommend reading Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet for his musings on creative life, which I found to be far more accessible and surprisingly relatable in today's context.
I voluntarily obtained a digital version of this book free from Netgalley and Pushkin Press in exchange for an honest review.
_cristina's review against another edition
5.0
O stand in wonder, Angel, for it was us,
O great one, us, tell the others of these things we added: my breath
is insufficient for such praise
O great one, us, tell the others of these things we added: my breath
is insufficient for such praise
rachelunabridged's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
big thanks to netgalley for the arc!
i'm not super comfortable with reviewing poetry since i've only recently started reading it on purpose. i can tell you that i was absolutely blown away by this series of poems. i hesitate to even call it a series because the themes were so intertwined that it really read like one long poem.
the imagery was just mind-blowing, and i deeply enjoyed the philosophical nature of the poems. it was just an incredibly passionate exploration of life, love, and beauty juxtaposed with existentialism and human suffering.
there was a section at the end of the book where the translator explained his methods for translating this work, which i thought was really fascinating. since it's just about impossible to accurately translate a poem and keep the form of the poem intact, he says that he decided on blank verse early on to preserve all of the original meaning and word usage as possible. definitely a smart move in my opinion as it would have been a travesty to lose the depth and meaning of this work.
but, as i have not read any other translations of this work, i can't say whether this is the "best" one or not. i just know that i enjoyed in very much.
i'm not super comfortable with reviewing poetry since i've only recently started reading it on purpose. i can tell you that i was absolutely blown away by this series of poems. i hesitate to even call it a series because the themes were so intertwined that it really read like one long poem.
the imagery was just mind-blowing, and i deeply enjoyed the philosophical nature of the poems. it was just an incredibly passionate exploration of life, love, and beauty juxtaposed with existentialism and human suffering.
there was a section at the end of the book where the translator explained his methods for translating this work, which i thought was really fascinating. since it's just about impossible to accurately translate a poem and keep the form of the poem intact, he says that he decided on blank verse early on to preserve all of the original meaning and word usage as possible. definitely a smart move in my opinion as it would have been a travesty to lose the depth and meaning of this work.
but, as i have not read any other translations of this work, i can't say whether this is the "best" one or not. i just know that i enjoyed in very much.
mercurialbooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
I honestly chose to read this book for two reasons. Firstly, that Vita Sackville-West is a translator, and secondly I wanted to add more poetry into my reading life.
Having previously read some of Vita's writing, I had hoped a translation by her would involve some of her flair and humour.
Unfortunately, they decided to translate this very closely to the original material. But they explain their reasoning so well in the translator's note that I cannot disagree it was the best choice at the time.
Rainer Maria Rilke is a German poet who has compiled the Duino Elegy from 10 poems that were written over eleven years. The First World War and bouts of depression very valid delays to it's final composition,
His poetry is very "complex and arcane" states Vita (and her cousin Edward) and I cannot help but agree. They suggest the poetry will not fully reveal itself on a first reading as it deals mostly in abstract ideas.
I feel a single reading is not enough for me to have grasped all the imagery and even much of the meaning. It is dense and requires some knowledge of his life and contemporary experiences to fully comprehend. I found a more modern and paraphrased translation online but even then some of the concepts were too thick for me to combat easily. This I blame entirely on my own intelligence, not the poet.
My single change to this book would be to place Vita and Edwards note at the beginning, their introduction is (in my opinion) far more accessible and less excessively academic than the current one. I felt better having read their note about how challenging I found this read. Their wit and approachable attitude is what makes Vita a must-read author for me. It is a shame to relegate that to the back of the book.
Having previously read some of Vita's writing, I had hoped a translation by her would involve some of her flair and humour.
Unfortunately, they decided to translate this very closely to the original material. But they explain their reasoning so well in the translator's note that I cannot disagree it was the best choice at the time.
Rainer Maria Rilke is a German poet who has compiled the Duino Elegy from 10 poems that were written over eleven years. The First World War and bouts of depression very valid delays to it's final composition,
His poetry is very "complex and arcane" states Vita (and her cousin Edward) and I cannot help but agree. They suggest the poetry will not fully reveal itself on a first reading as it deals mostly in abstract ideas.
I feel a single reading is not enough for me to have grasped all the imagery and even much of the meaning. It is dense and requires some knowledge of his life and contemporary experiences to fully comprehend. I found a more modern and paraphrased translation online but even then some of the concepts were too thick for me to combat easily. This I blame entirely on my own intelligence, not the poet.
My single change to this book would be to place Vita and Edwards note at the beginning, their introduction is (in my opinion) far more accessible and less excessively academic than the current one. I felt better having read their note about how challenging I found this read. Their wit and approachable attitude is what makes Vita a must-read author for me. It is a shame to relegate that to the back of the book.
msand3's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful, stirring, and full of the startling language that I admire in Rilke, yet not his work that speaks the most to me. I prefer the earlier elegies, if only because the mystical unknowable is grounded in a more known concept (love), which is quite ironic, I realize. In these poems, humans are ethereal beings more so than the angels, despite (or perhaps because of?) our fleeting connection to the earth. This is both the cycle’s strength and it’s biggest stumbling block -- if it can be called that -- due to the tendency to seem overly-esoteric in the later elegies, which surpasses even that of Novalis or Hölderlin, both of whom are able to better temper their transcendental spiritual flights. In any case, it’s a must-read classic of 20th century verse.
emmyinthestacks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.5
tyrostone's review against another edition
4.0
Poetry has generally been a difficult medium for me to appreciate, but I was thoroughly engrossed in Rainer Maria Rilke's Duino Elegies. I would love to be able to read it in it's native form (German, alas, I do not understand you nearly well enough!)
What did I like? Rilke seems to take on themes of death, human consciousness, connection, and "the realm beyond" with both skepticism and grace. By weaving different motifs into and out of each poem, I thought the author used each succeeding poem to explore and also build on these themes. There was something so emotionally honest and intimate about Rilke's phrasing, which drew me in and left me captivated.
I wish I could say more but I'm finding that the connection with the book was very emotional, less intellectual, and thus difficult for me to describe. Regardless, I recommend it for fans of poetry and skeptics alike.
What did I like? Rilke seems to take on themes of death, human consciousness, connection, and "the realm beyond" with both skepticism and grace. By weaving different motifs into and out of each poem, I thought the author used each succeeding poem to explore and also build on these themes. There was something so emotionally honest and intimate about Rilke's phrasing, which drew me in and left me captivated.
I wish I could say more but I'm finding that the connection with the book was very emotional, less intellectual, and thus difficult for me to describe. Regardless, I recommend it for fans of poetry and skeptics alike.
joth1006's review against another edition
På min begravning kommer jag att kräva en högläsning av alla Duinoelegier. Allt jag bryr mig om ryms här, och därtill under ett förunderligt vackert språk.