Description

By (author) Rilke, Rainer Maria; Translated by Corn Alfred

Short /annotation:
A new translation of Rilke’s classic elegies—ten mystical, radiant poems that bring together the beautiful and the sacred.

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Rainer Maria Rilke’s Duino Elegies are one of the great literary masterpieces of the twentieth century. Begun in 1912 while the poet was a guest at Duino Castle on the Adriatic Sea and completed in a final bout of feverish inspiration in 1922, the ten elegies survey the mysteries of consciousness, whether human or animal, earthly or divine.

Poet and translator Alfred Corn offers a fresh take on this cornerstone of German lyric poetry, bringing us closer to Rilke’s meaning than ever before and illuminating the elegies’ celebration of life and love. Also included are a critical introduction exploring the nuances of the translation, several thematically linked lyrics and two of the Letters to a Young Poet to complete the volume.

Review quote:
“Corn’s subtle and sinuous translation lets Rilke sing in English with the sensual undertones and lyrical precision that lend this masterpiece of world literature such resonance even today.”

Biographical note:
Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1926), the author of Sonnets to Orpheus, Duino Elegies, and Letters to a Young Poet, was one of the greatest poets of the German language. Alfred Corn is a poet, novelist, and essayist. The recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim, and the National Endowment for the Arts, he lives in Providence, Rhode Island.