Author(s): Rainer Maria Rilke

Books, Writing and Language

These letters from the poet and mystic Rainer Maria Rilke to a nineteen-year-old cadet and aspiring poet have inspired millions of readers since they were first published in English in 1934. The first, and most popular, translator of this work was Mary Dows Herter Norton-a polymath extraordinaire with expertise in music, literature, and science who played a crucial role in elevating Rilke's global reputation. The Norton Centenary Edition commemorates this extraordinary woman, known as "Polly" to friends and colleagues, and celebrates the 100th anniversary of the publishing company she cofounded. With an admiring foreword by Damion Searls-himself a recent translator of Rilke'sLetters-and an afterword by Norton's current president, Julia Reidhead, that honors Polly's crucial role in securing Norton's independence, this handsome new edition brings Rilke's enduring wisdom about life, love, and art to a new generation, in the translation that first introduced him to the English-speaking world.