--- product_id: 1695024 title: "Letters to a Young Poet" price: "£9.40" currency: GBP in_stock: true reviews_count: 9 url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/1695024-letters-to-a-young-poet store_origin: GB region: United Kingdom --- # Letters to a Young Poet **Price:** £9.40 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Letters to a Young Poet - **How much does it cost?** £9.40 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/1695024-letters-to-a-young-poet) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Letters to a Young Poet [Rainer Maria Rilke, M.D. Herter Norton] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Letters to a Young Poet Review: Fantastic Introduction to Rilke! - Background: "Letters to a Young Poet" is a very short book first published in 1929. The book is comprised of ten letters written by Rainer Maria Rilke, a Bohemian-Austrian poet who died in 1926 from leukemia at the age of 51. The letters in the book were written from 1903 to 1908, as Rainer reached his 30's, and were from a series of correspondence between himself and another Austrian named Franz Kappus, a 19-year-old aspiring poet studying as a cadet at a military academy, who had written to Rainer for advice about poetry, the direction of his life, love, and other things. The letters from Rainer were published posthumously by Franz, who did not include his own letters to Rainer, but from Rainer's written responses you can determine what the correspondence was about. What unfolds in the letters is that Rainer takes on the role of an older brother and offers advice to Franz about poetry, art, love, and life in general. Rainer's letters to the young cadet are still some of his most famous work more than a century later, due to their eloquence and sincerity. My Opinion: I just finished reading this M.D. Herter Norton translation of Letters to a Young Poet. I had heard the actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt recommend it in an interview as his favorite book nearly two years ago and I bought it based on his description but was waiting until I had finished other books first. However, I felt compelled to skip the others and start it early and within the first few pages I just really felt a connection to him in the letters he wrote and couldn't stop reading. After a quick YouTube search looking for more information about him and reading recommendations, and after viewing a short documentary film from the year 2000 about his life, it seems quite apparent to me that Rilke suffered from bipolar disorder, a mood disorder. While I am not a psychologist or psychiatrist, I am a behavioral health advocate, former certified peer specialist in mental health conditions, and most importantly someone who has bipolar disorder type 2. I've never felt so connected to someone's words before, each verse like a mirror showing the unfiltered me to myself, like someone flinging open the windows in my room and letting in the light to both illuminate and cast shadows upon me as I search for myself through this recent phase of major depression that I've been experiencing. Like Rilke, I too become extremely productive when I experience phases of mania, and when I'm going through major depression phases, I yearn to return to mania because I feel like that's when I can do my most extensive work. But also like Rilke, I find inspiration in the heavy cloud of depression that feeds my creative outlets. Recently I've been unable to find the words to explain my current experiences and reading Rilke's letters has helped me through. Other Collections: Rilke has many other collections of poetry and prose. If you go to YouTube and use the search tool with his name you will find book recommendations and some incredibly profound readings from his works by some YouTube users that will blow you away! I have just ordered two other collections of his works: "The Poetry of Rilke" by Edward Snow which contains some of his most beloved poetry and prose, and "The Dark Interval" by Ulrich Baer which is a another collection of Rilke's letters on loss, grief, and transformation. Review: Better of two translations - I bought this copy for a book club meet-up, but they recommended another translation. I've read both and like this one so much better. There is more detail into the life of Rilke in the additional chapters in this translation. But I was really intrigued by the subtle differences in two translations from German. I would recommend get another translation from another author to do a comparison, the other copy I have is by Mitchell, I got that at a book store for less than $10, just a 4x7 inch paper back, that had a poor type set font. The size for this book is 8x 51/4 and font is easier to read. You might think that I have received some sort of financial award from writing this much, but I was impressed with the words of these letters, they are so pointe and thought provoking. The range of the discussion goes from, creativity, solitude, to love. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #31,633 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #4 in German Poetry (Books) #9 in German Literature (Books) #14 in Literary Letters | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (1,197) | | Dimensions | 5.4 x 0.3 x 8 inches | | Edition | Revised | | ISBN-10 | 0804172064 | | ISBN-13 | 978-0804172066 | | Item Weight | 2.31 pounds | | Language | English | | Print length | 123 pages | | Publication date | August 1, 1993 | | Publisher | W. W. Norton & Company | ## Images ![Letters to a Young Poet - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61NHPVacJqL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fantastic Introduction to Rilke! *by K***M on March 25, 2021* Background: "Letters to a Young Poet" is a very short book first published in 1929. The book is comprised of ten letters written by Rainer Maria Rilke, a Bohemian-Austrian poet who died in 1926 from leukemia at the age of 51. The letters in the book were written from 1903 to 1908, as Rainer reached his 30's, and were from a series of correspondence between himself and another Austrian named Franz Kappus, a 19-year-old aspiring poet studying as a cadet at a military academy, who had written to Rainer for advice about poetry, the direction of his life, love, and other things. The letters from Rainer were published posthumously by Franz, who did not include his own letters to Rainer, but from Rainer's written responses you can determine what the correspondence was about. What unfolds in the letters is that Rainer takes on the role of an older brother and offers advice to Franz about poetry, art, love, and life in general. Rainer's letters to the young cadet are still some of his most famous work more than a century later, due to their eloquence and sincerity. My Opinion: I just finished reading this M.D. Herter Norton translation of Letters to a Young Poet. I had heard the actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt recommend it in an interview as his favorite book nearly two years ago and I bought it based on his description but was waiting until I had finished other books first. However, I felt compelled to skip the others and start it early and within the first few pages I just really felt a connection to him in the letters he wrote and couldn't stop reading. After a quick YouTube search looking for more information about him and reading recommendations, and after viewing a short documentary film from the year 2000 about his life, it seems quite apparent to me that Rilke suffered from bipolar disorder, a mood disorder. While I am not a psychologist or psychiatrist, I am a behavioral health advocate, former certified peer specialist in mental health conditions, and most importantly someone who has bipolar disorder type 2. I've never felt so connected to someone's words before, each verse like a mirror showing the unfiltered me to myself, like someone flinging open the windows in my room and letting in the light to both illuminate and cast shadows upon me as I search for myself through this recent phase of major depression that I've been experiencing. Like Rilke, I too become extremely productive when I experience phases of mania, and when I'm going through major depression phases, I yearn to return to mania because I feel like that's when I can do my most extensive work. But also like Rilke, I find inspiration in the heavy cloud of depression that feeds my creative outlets. Recently I've been unable to find the words to explain my current experiences and reading Rilke's letters has helped me through. Other Collections: Rilke has many other collections of poetry and prose. If you go to YouTube and use the search tool with his name you will find book recommendations and some incredibly profound readings from his works by some YouTube users that will blow you away! I have just ordered two other collections of his works: "The Poetry of Rilke" by Edward Snow which contains some of his most beloved poetry and prose, and "The Dark Interval" by Ulrich Baer which is a another collection of Rilke's letters on loss, grief, and transformation. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Better of two translations *by B***P on May 5, 2016* I bought this copy for a book club meet-up, but they recommended another translation. I've read both and like this one so much better. There is more detail into the life of Rilke in the additional chapters in this translation. But I was really intrigued by the subtle differences in two translations from German. I would recommend get another translation from another author to do a comparison, the other copy I have is by Mitchell, I got that at a book store for less than $10, just a 4x7 inch paper back, that had a poor type set font. The size for this book is 8x 51/4 and font is easier to read. You might think that I have received some sort of financial award from writing this much, but I was impressed with the words of these letters, they are so pointe and thought provoking. The range of the discussion goes from, creativity, solitude, to love. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Safe Delivery To a Young Poet *by S***I on May 1, 2021* First of all, this is a little gem everyone should have on their shelf. As John Adams said, you're never lonely with a poet in your pocket. The copy that was sent is so lovely...used in the nicest way as if whomever owned it, treated it as the treasure it surely is. There was even a sweet bookmark in place to greet me. It came fast, had a receipt, not always the case, so I've happily bookmarked the seller who will hear from me again. ## Frequently Bought Together - Letters to a Young Poet - Rilke's Book of Hours: Love Poems to God - The Dark Interval: Letters on Loss, Grief, and Transformation (Modern Library Classics) --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/1695024-letters-to-a-young-poet](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/1695024-letters-to-a-young-poet) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom* *Store origin: GB* *Last updated: 2026-05-26*