You Alone Are Real to Me: Remembering Rainer Maria Rilke (American Readers Series) - Hardcover

Lou Andreas-Salome; Angela Von Der Lippe

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1929918321 ISBN 13: 9781929918324

Publisher: BOA Editions Ltd., 2003

Synopsis

Never before available in English, You Alone Are Real to Me documents the relationship between Salomé and Rainer Maria Rilke that spanned almost 30 years. Salomé gives an intimate account of Rilke’s poetic development from the early romantic poems to the sculpted new poems and the final breakthrough of the Elegies. From their romantic beginnings to the later twists and turns of their separate lives, Rilke appealed to Salomé during times of crisis in his writing as well as in the intimate matters of his life. Salomé captures both the summit and the abyss of Rilke’s creative struggle. The memoir offers a stunning portrait of Rilke, as we in the English-speaking world have never really seen him. Richly illustrated with photos, this book is an indispensable work on the author of The Duino Elegies, as well as a rich resource for the growing interest in Salomé.

Lou Andreas-Salomé was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, but lived most of her life in Germany as a famous novelist, memoirist (of Rilke, Nietzsche, and Ibsen), friend to Freud and critic. She was praised by Freud as the smartest woman he had ever met, and prized by Rilke as "one of the most wonderful people who have come my way . . . without the influence of this extraordinary woman my whole development would not have been able to take the paths that have led to many things." Salomé wrote his memoir in 1927, a year after Rilke’s death.

Angela von der Lippe is a senior editor at W.W. Norton. She holds a doctorate in German Literature and Language from Brown University. In her free time, she pursues a personal passion for translation and poetry. She divides her time between New York City, Baltimore and the Adirondacks.

About this title

Reviews

A year after Rilke's death in 1926, Salom‚-his former lover, novelist, memoirist and muse extraordinaire-wrote this memoir of sorts documenting the poet's rich inner life. Salom‚ served not only as Rilke's primary muse, but also as his lifelong correspondent and his most trusted literary confidante. Her memoir, now translated into English for the first time, bears witness to Rilke's self-doubts and insecurities as well as his greatest triumphs, culminating in the composition of his famous Duino Elegies. Although Salom‚ has the potential to offer an unusually personal perspective on her one-time lover, she maintains a cool distance from him at all times. Her interest lies strictly with the development of Rilke as an artist, which makes this book a good resource for literary scholars but of little interest to the casual reader. Salom‚ pays little attention to Rilke's famous friends and his family life; indeed, she makes no mention of their own three-year love affair. Instead, the memoir follows a stream-of-consciousness style, filled with excerpts from Rilke's notebooks and letters, delicately mapping out the maturation of his poetry over the course of several decades. Salom‚ does not place Rilke's art within the context of his life; on the contrary, she selects tiny fragments from the poet's life and uses them only as a backdrop for discussions of his art. The memoir, and the introduction by Norton senior editor von der Lippe, takes for granted an extensive knowledge of the poet's life and his art; this volume will be of interest primarily to those who study Rilke. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: BOA Editions Ltd.
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1929918321
• ISBN 13: 9781929918324
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 150