The Essential Rilke: Bilingual Twentieth-Century German Poetry – The Complete Duino Elegies in Graceful Translation - Softcover

Kinnell, Galway; Liebmann, Hannah

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0060956542 ISBN 13: 9780060956547

Publisher: Ecco, 2000

Synopsis

German poet Rainer Maria Rilke(1875-1926) enjoys ever-increasing popularity.  His Duino Elegies is considered on of the greatest long poems of the twentieth century.  Yet translations from his native German have always presented challenges: the elusiveness of Rilke's imagery, the playful way he both distorts and subverts his own language, and the depth and complexity of his poetry make it difficult for translators to preserve the beauty and meaning of the original text.  In his stunning bilingual selection that includes the entire Duino Elegies as well as a number of favorite and less familiar shorter poems, Galway Kinnell and Hannah Liebmann manage to retain power and grace of Rilke's words.  Throughout his poetry, Rilke addresses questions of how to live in and relate to a world in a voice  that is simultaneoulsy prophetic and intensely personel.  These translations offer new insight into this enigmatic German poet whose work will continue to be read and admired throughout the world.

About this title

About the Authors

Galway Kinnell is the Erich Maria Remarque Professor of Creative Writing at New York University. His Selected Poems won the Pultizer Prize and the National Book Award in 1982. His most recent volume of peoms is Imperfect Thirst.

Hannah Liebman, a native of Austria, received her Ph.D in English and German literature and philology from the University of Graz. She is managing editor of an international quarterly and editorial assistant of the literary journal caesura

From the Back Cover

German poet Rainer Maria Rilke(1875-1926) enjoys ever-increasing popularity.  His Duino Elegies is considered on of the greatest long poems of the twentieth century.  Yet translations from his native German have always presented challenges: the elusiveness of Rilke's imagery, the playful way he both distorts and subverts his own language, and the depth and complexity of his poetry make it difficult for translators to preserve the beauty and meaning of the original text.  In his stunning bilingual selection that includes the entire Duino Elegies as well as a number of favorite and less familiar shorter poems, Galway Kinnell and Hannah Liebmann manage to retain power and grace of Rilke's words.  Throughout his poetry, Rilke addresses questions of how to live in and relate to a world in a voice  that is simultaneoulsy prophetic and intensely personel.  These translations offer new insight into this enigmatic German poet whose work will continue to be read and admired throughout the world.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The Essential Rilke

By Kinnell, Galway

Ecco

Copyright © 2004 Galway Kinnell
All right reserved.
ISBN: 0060956542

Autumn Day

Lord: it is time. The summer was so immense.
Lay your shadow on the sundials,
and let loose the wind in the fields.

Bid the last fruits to be full;
give them another two more southerly days,
press them to ripeness, and chase
the last sweetness into the heavy wine.

Whoever has no house now will not build one anymore.
Whoever is alone now will remain so for a long time,
will stay up, read, write long letters,
and wander the avenues, up and down,
restlessly, while the leaves are blowing.

Continues...

Excerpted from The Essential Rilkeby Kinnell, Galway Copyright © 2004 by Galway Kinnell. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Edition details

• Publisher: Ecco
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060956542
• ISBN 13: 9780060956547
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176