Fifty Poems - Softcover

Rilke, Rainer Maria; Lehmann, Geoffrey

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1681379945 ISBN 13: 9781681379944

Publisher: NYRB Poets, 2025

Synopsis

Rilke is one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century, revered throughout the world. Geoffrey Lehmann has selected fifty of Rilke’s finest poems from the two volumes, entitled New Poems, that are the center of gravity of his achievement. Lehmann’s refined ear and perfect mastery of English verse form give his renderings of Rilke a precision and poise that are equal to that of the German originals. On the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of Rilke’s death a master poet lives anew.

About this title

About the Author

Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926) is one of the greatest lyric German poets. Born in Prague, he published his first book of poems, Leben und Lieber, at age nineteen. He met Lou Salomé, the talented and spirited daughter of a Russian army officer, who influenced him deeply. In 1902 he became the friend, and for a time the secretary, of Rodin, and it was during his twelve-year Paris residence that Rilke enjoyed his greatest poetic activity. In 1919 he went to Switzerland where he spent the last years of his life. It was there that he wrote his last two works, Duino Elegies (1923) and The Sonnets to Orpheus (1923).

Geoffrey Lehmann is an Australian translator, lawyer, and children's author. He lives in New South Wales.

Edition details

• Publisher: NYRB Poets
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1681379945
• ISBN 13: 9781681379944
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 112