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Added reference under 'Influences' but this is a somewhat superficial characterisation as the link to Heidegger is more essential, i.e. they are "ideologically concurrent". Perhaps this should be a new section or merged into the main article, but the point on Heidegger in 'Influences' is somewhat conspicuous. Suggestions? Tsop 05:57, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
Heidegger showed Rilke that a writer could use senseless and incomprehensible words and be considered a major intellect. Rilke saw that Heidegger became an international success by simply being unintelligible and obscure. These traits, as all professors know, are considered as signs of deep thinking. Lestrade ( talk) 12:31, 7 May 2008 (UTC)Lestrade
Um, on the above, Heidegger didn't publish his first book till a year after Rilke's death. Influence is all one way here. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 2fennario ( talk • contribs) 03:25, 19 January 2010 (UTC)
Related to this, there is no mention of Rilke as an existentialist. The very themes that make him a transitional figure between romantic and modernist poetry account for his inclusion among the existentialist tradition. Also note that there is more substance to this claim than the mere appropriation of Rilke's work by Heidegger, Arendt, and Walter Kaufmann. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.100.63.63 ( talk) 14:14, 3 April 2009 (UTC)
"Rilke is generally considered the German language's greatest poet of the 20th century. Though he never found a consistent verse form, his haunting images tend to focus on the problems of Christianity in an age of disbelief, solitude, and profound anxiety. He is generally placed in the camp of Modernist poets, though his religious dilemmas may set him apart from some of his peers.
He wrote in both verse and in a highly lyrical prose. His two most famous verse pieces are the Sonnets to Orpheus and the Duino Elegies; his two most famous prose pieces are the Letters to a Young Poet and the semi-autobiographical Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge."
Rilke's mature thought, it should be hard to miss, is wholly, and even virulently, anti-Christian. No doubt his symbolist and transcendental concerns were influenced by the religion he was raised with, but his reaction against that religion was complete. His angry rejection of the role of Christ in relations with the Divine (see the "Young Workingman's Letter") looks suspiciously like a desire to arrogate that role to himself; but, whatever you may think of it, his self-consciously UN-Christian stance is quite unmistakable, and a major element in his vision. Fixlein ( talk) 17:20, 31 December 2007 (UTC)
Added a new influence, the band Rainer Maria. Pretty obvious one. I slipped it in under the other musical inspirations. I can't link a source to the merchandise I'm talking about, as the record label website is down, but I own one of the t-shirts with Rilke's face on it, so I know they exist. Frailgesture 07:08, 27 January 2006 (UTC)
Someone who knows more than I do about poetry should figure out what to say about modernism. I do know enough to remove the implication that being Christian disqualifies you from being a modernist. Also, the idea that a "consistent verse form" is a requirement for being a successful poet seemed like an assertion of opinion. Nareek 23:11, 18 February 2006 (UTC)
Rilke was born and raised in what's now the Czech Republic, but it obviously wasn't the Czech Republic then.
However, looking at his bio here, it doesn't appear that he ever lived in a country called "Austria" either--by the time there was such an entity, he was living in Germany and then in Switzerland. Given that Austrian is not really an ethnicity, it seems odd to call him an Austrian if he never lived in Austria.
If we're identifying him by nationality, Austro-Hungarian is probably right--though I'm not sure that's a category. By ethnicity, "German" is probably correct. Nareek 20:19, 20 June 2006 (UTC)
It seems that he identified himself as Swiss, would that perhaps be more appropriate? -- Harel Newman ( talk) 23:23, 31 December 2008 (UTC)
Changed the intro, thus also replacing the weasel wording. -- Catgut ( talk) 17:02, 24 December 2009 (UTC)
Just logging a note that in fact Rilke did say a good deal about his nationality -- see Storck's edition of his "Briefe zur Politik." But he was not happy with being pinned down to any country, certainly not Austria once it was created. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 2fennario ( talk • contribs) 03:20, 19 January 2010 (UTC)
I find the Works section is unhelpful for the following reasons:
I think translators/translations would fit in better if placed within the article for each specific work. Does anyone have any objections or any other ideas for making this section clearer and more helpful? -- hibou 13:08, 13 November 2006 (UTC)
I think that William H. Gass's book, Reading Rilke, should be added to the list. He translates many of the poems himself, and his absence on this page is mystifying to say the least. Include in that, too, selections from his most recent work of criticism, A Temple of Texts. If i knew how, I'd do it myself.
68.161.238.60 16:29, 16 October 2007 (UTC)
My opinion on the two questions above: I think adding references to translations of each work is a great idea; and, I'm not familiar with Gass's book but if I had the citation details I'd be happy to add it.
My question is this - I would like to create a new article focused solely on Rilke's work, Geschichten vom lieben Gott (Stories of God). The article would focus on the work itself of course and also on how it fits into Rilke's overall body of work. I envision it to include references to prior scholarship as well as external links to three existing English translations. And this last bit is where there is a prima facie conflict of interest. My company has commissioned and owns one of these translations. I've never created an article before and would like guidance on what would be acceptable.
-- Aventureworks ( talk) 21:27, 6 September 2009 (UTC)
He's not, maybe one of the greatest but not the greatest.
It would be great if someone could add the pronunciation of his name, for the ignorants of the world (like me!). Thanks. -- TotoBaggins 15:18, 21 February 2007 (UTC)
From the current form of the article, Rilke's religion is never mentioned, but his mother is mentioned as being Jewish. So it seems as though, from the article, Rilke was Jewish, but he was raised Roman Catholic (Josef Maria should be a dead giveaway). Do we have a reputable source (I just remember his religion being mentioned in a lecture) that can show that he was raised Roman Catholic? I'm going to add it, but also add "citation needed" so that it's clear that a source needs to be found, to clear up the confusion.
Lifthrasir1 06:10, 11 October 2007 (UTC)
Rilke's mother may have been of Jewish background, but she was a devout Catholic herself. The suggestion (if that's what it is) that there is something surprising in Rilke's Catholic upbringing is quite wide of the mark. Any recent biography would be an acceptable citation for this. Fixlein ( talk) 17:04, 31 December 2007 (UTC)
Rilke is regarded as one of the most famous poets in history. His poems are widely regarded as being of a superior quality. This is puzzling because he is almost totally unintelligible. It is not, however, generally permitted to make this statement. Lestrade ( talk) 00:14, 6 May 2008 (UTC)Lestrade
Rilke may be a notable poet with a considerable host of high brow admirers, but his Christian beliefs were offbeat resembling those of Dan Brown, and he may have been infected by the influence of the artist Auguste Rodin. Please read the book and article cited. Rodin's Christ and Mary Magdalene (1894):
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/rodin/rodin_magdalen1.jpg
Wfgh66 ( talk) 14:49, 30 June 2008 (UTC)
HBWDEKDMEDFMELD;KRFRTL/ —Preceding unsigned comment added by 93.86.107.105 ( talk) 19:58, 27 September 2008 (UTC)
However, given the Marien-Leben (1913), which though at times idiosyncratic, contains very little that would be unacceptable dogmatically to any Catholic, is it important to give the early Mary Magdelen views such prominence? I confess I haven't read the Haskins book or article, but it appears to be mostly based on early, unpublished works, written in Rilke's late teens and early twenties. Are we sure he held these views later in life? Have any other Rilke scholars endorsed Haskins' views - if not, I suggest removing this section completely, as it makes Rilke's youthful views on Christ and Mary Magdalen unnecessarily important. And they have nothing to do with "literary style". — Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.7.183.3 ( talk) 23:32, 4 December 2011 (UTC)
Actress Jane Fonda mentioned Rilke in her autobiography? This makes me wonder if the mention of Rilke's name is a way to appear to be romantic or intellectual. I would like to hear actress Jane Fonda discuss the meaning or effect of Rilke's obscure artworks. The "Rilke's influence" section is very long. Many names are dropped as being people who have read and been influenced by Rilke. I wonder if that influence can be communicated? Why do I suspect that Rilke's name is mentioned for effect, especially by people who are in the entertainment field and are therefore often shallowly concerned with mere appearances? Lestrade ( talk) 17:18, 24 June 2009 (UTC)Lestrade
I move to take out the list of Rainer Maria Rilke# Rilke's influence. Thousand of artists have been inspired by Rilke's work - composers, poets, painters etc. just as they have been inspired by Mozart, Shakespeare, Plato or Michelangelo's work. You will find no long list of works inspired by these people in their articles. Spanglej ( talk) 19:41, 28 June 2010 (UTC)
"Rilke changed his first name from "René" to the more masculine Rainer at Lou's urging." This is nonsense. Now it may be nonsense that Lou Andreas-Salomé believed - I don't know so someone else will have to verify and change the wording accordingly. But as a matter of fact René is a perfectly common French masculine name. Renée would be feminine. Axel 00:36, 17 July 2010 (UTC)
Lou thought that Rilke's mother, who was openly disappointed that she had not given birth to a daughter and dressed him as a girl in his infancy, had called him René in order to be ambiguous about his gender. That was why Lou recommended the name change. René may be masculine in French, but, it is closer to Renée than Rainer is. Rilke liked the change. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.156.95.130 ( talk) 19:09, 9 June 2019 (UTC)
When I came across Germanotta's ( Lady Gaga) use of a Rilke quote in the mainstream press, I became intrigued and added the following reference to her article:
This was later removed as "absolutely unnecessary".
Generally, I like these kind of items relating to popular culture to appear in the articles of popular culture, but seeing that it has been removed there and now been brought up here, maybe it could be mentioned. I'm still ambivalent about it, but maybe there is general interest. -- Michael Bednarek ( talk) 13:51, 2 July 2011 (UTC)
I'm not entirely happy with the scope and depth of this article and propose to begin a full-scale revision. Things I don't like: (1) The organization of the biography by years isn't descriptive, replace the years with titles, (2) there doesn't seem to be much connecting biography with work, (3) the list of RMR's works isn't clear because it seems to be a list of everyone else's translations and not a concise list of what RMR wrote, (4) there is little material on the interpretation of his work, its tone, symbols, themes, and the RMR's work in the modernist context and in today's popular understanding/use/interpretation. The intended goal would be to bring RMR to GA status. Does anyone have an suggestions or objections? -- ColonelHenry ( talk) 03:49, 4 August 2012 (UTC)
I removed this from the article because (a) it detracts from Rilke's list of works and (b) there's just too damn many translations and more coming every day. -- ColonelHenry ( talk) 17:27, 9 February 2013 (UTC)
Couldn't this become a separate page on the Wiki? If Rilke is an important poet (on which most who have an opinion likely agree), wouldn't it be preferred to have this as it's own page rather than having it moulder away here? 108.52.119.247 ( talk) 15:45, 8 September 2022 (UTC)
References
BACKSTORY: User:RGloucester edited the article twice to call Rilke "a German Bohemian poet and novelist" [1] and then revised it to describe him as "an Austrian poet and novelist of German Bohemian origin" [2]. The previous versions described him as "a Bohemian- Austrian poet and novelist." These two comments below are from my talk page, I moved them here for germaneness (no pun intended) to this article and to center this ongoing discussion here. Please obtain a consensus that is both historically and ethnically accurate, and I hope this doesn't turn into a petty squabble like the lengthy intransigent battle on whether Armenia was a European country or an Asian country.
"German Bohemian" does not refer to the state. It refers to the ethnicity. It is the term for those Germans from Bohemia. Rilke is one of those. It has absolutely nothing to do with the German Reich. "Austrian" as an ethnicity did not exist until after the fall of the Empire. Previously, they what we now call Austrians would've referred to themselves as Germans. Regardless, Rilke was a German Bohemian. Bohemia was never part of the German state, which only arose in 1871 anyway. RGloucester ( talk) 19:10, 5 May 2013 (UTC)
REMOVED THIS DISCUSSION TO Talk:Rainer Maria Rilke. Comment there.
To RGloucester: Your memo on one of your edits state "German Bohemian has nothing to do with the German state. It is the term for those ethnic Germans from Bohemia. See my message on your talk."
Where is the evidence for the baseless assumption that his mother was Jewish and Slavic? Why are people on wikipedia so obsessed with making non-Jewish people magically Jewish? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2600:1700:69C1:2A00:5D07:6B35:587C:E238 ( talk) 18:51, 29 November 2018 (UTC)
Can someone post the relevant sections from the source used in support of the claim ‘In the United States, Rilke is one of the more popular, best-selling poets—along with 13th-century Sufi mystic Rumi and 20th-century Lebanese-American poet Khalil Gibran’? I don't think Rilke is that well-known here. The source is Rilke in America: A Poet Re-Created by Kathleen Komar. Esszet ( talk) 02:29, 2 August 2013 (UTC)
I'm particularly skeptical about the claim that his mother dressed him in girls' clothes because of gender issues. It was in fact standard for the Austro-Hungarian middle classes to dress young boys in dresses until they reached a certain age, after which they began wearing pants. Maybe the cited source provides further evidence, but the picture of a boy in a dress simply shows that he was a bourgeois boy of that time and place. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.134.193.84 ( talk) 09:16, 1 December 2013 (UTC)
No discussion of his attitudes towards Jews? Didn't he object to Karl Kraus as having a "unrepeatable difference", which the Sidonie Nadherna entry describes as referring to "his Jewish heritage". 14.0.174.140 ( talk) 11:33, 9 June 2020 (UTC)
Section Duino and the First World War (1911–1919) includes, without elaboration, the sentence "From 1914 to 1916 he had a turbulent affair with the painter Lou Albert-Lasard." "Lou" in English is normally a masculine name, usually short for "Louis", which implies that this was a homosexual affair. The article reveals that Lou Albert-Lasard was a woman. Shouldn't this be made clear in the text?
-- Thnidu ( talk) 20:03, 21 September 2020 (UTC)
This address in Prague is curious to me. Herrengasse is German for "Street of the Lords" or "Lords Lane", and exists in Vienna, Graz, and Bern, and so maybe many other cities as well. The Lords referred to proximity of the nobles' residences to the castle. If Herrengasse in Prague was renamed to Panská 8, the location of Panska 8 is across the river, not next to the Castle. The Golden lane in Prague, IS next to the Castle, and WAS home to writers Kafka and Seifert. Can you see where Prague common knowledge would require further documentation about the location of Rilke's childhood ? SalineBrain ( talk) 05:40, 5 August 2021 (UTC)
She is so important that he dedicates his elegies to her, and he may not have heard the voice that inspired him to write his first elegy if he was not invited to stay at her castle. How did Rainer meet Princess Marie?
Edit: I found a book of recollections on Rainer by Princess Marie, perhaps it can be found there.
CalebSohSweeKai ( talk) 09:08, 2 October 2023 (UTC)
No mention that he is the first to ever translate Lao Tzu? 79.106.203.80 ( talk) 08:17, 28 March 2024 (UTC)
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Added reference under 'Influences' but this is a somewhat superficial characterisation as the link to Heidegger is more essential, i.e. they are "ideologically concurrent". Perhaps this should be a new section or merged into the main article, but the point on Heidegger in 'Influences' is somewhat conspicuous. Suggestions? Tsop 05:57, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
Heidegger showed Rilke that a writer could use senseless and incomprehensible words and be considered a major intellect. Rilke saw that Heidegger became an international success by simply being unintelligible and obscure. These traits, as all professors know, are considered as signs of deep thinking. Lestrade ( talk) 12:31, 7 May 2008 (UTC)Lestrade
Um, on the above, Heidegger didn't publish his first book till a year after Rilke's death. Influence is all one way here. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 2fennario ( talk • contribs) 03:25, 19 January 2010 (UTC)
Related to this, there is no mention of Rilke as an existentialist. The very themes that make him a transitional figure between romantic and modernist poetry account for his inclusion among the existentialist tradition. Also note that there is more substance to this claim than the mere appropriation of Rilke's work by Heidegger, Arendt, and Walter Kaufmann. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.100.63.63 ( talk) 14:14, 3 April 2009 (UTC)
"Rilke is generally considered the German language's greatest poet of the 20th century. Though he never found a consistent verse form, his haunting images tend to focus on the problems of Christianity in an age of disbelief, solitude, and profound anxiety. He is generally placed in the camp of Modernist poets, though his religious dilemmas may set him apart from some of his peers.
He wrote in both verse and in a highly lyrical prose. His two most famous verse pieces are the Sonnets to Orpheus and the Duino Elegies; his two most famous prose pieces are the Letters to a Young Poet and the semi-autobiographical Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge."
Rilke's mature thought, it should be hard to miss, is wholly, and even virulently, anti-Christian. No doubt his symbolist and transcendental concerns were influenced by the religion he was raised with, but his reaction against that religion was complete. His angry rejection of the role of Christ in relations with the Divine (see the "Young Workingman's Letter") looks suspiciously like a desire to arrogate that role to himself; but, whatever you may think of it, his self-consciously UN-Christian stance is quite unmistakable, and a major element in his vision. Fixlein ( talk) 17:20, 31 December 2007 (UTC)
Added a new influence, the band Rainer Maria. Pretty obvious one. I slipped it in under the other musical inspirations. I can't link a source to the merchandise I'm talking about, as the record label website is down, but I own one of the t-shirts with Rilke's face on it, so I know they exist. Frailgesture 07:08, 27 January 2006 (UTC)
Someone who knows more than I do about poetry should figure out what to say about modernism. I do know enough to remove the implication that being Christian disqualifies you from being a modernist. Also, the idea that a "consistent verse form" is a requirement for being a successful poet seemed like an assertion of opinion. Nareek 23:11, 18 February 2006 (UTC)
Rilke was born and raised in what's now the Czech Republic, but it obviously wasn't the Czech Republic then.
However, looking at his bio here, it doesn't appear that he ever lived in a country called "Austria" either--by the time there was such an entity, he was living in Germany and then in Switzerland. Given that Austrian is not really an ethnicity, it seems odd to call him an Austrian if he never lived in Austria.
If we're identifying him by nationality, Austro-Hungarian is probably right--though I'm not sure that's a category. By ethnicity, "German" is probably correct. Nareek 20:19, 20 June 2006 (UTC)
It seems that he identified himself as Swiss, would that perhaps be more appropriate? -- Harel Newman ( talk) 23:23, 31 December 2008 (UTC)
Changed the intro, thus also replacing the weasel wording. -- Catgut ( talk) 17:02, 24 December 2009 (UTC)
Just logging a note that in fact Rilke did say a good deal about his nationality -- see Storck's edition of his "Briefe zur Politik." But he was not happy with being pinned down to any country, certainly not Austria once it was created. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 2fennario ( talk • contribs) 03:20, 19 January 2010 (UTC)
I find the Works section is unhelpful for the following reasons:
I think translators/translations would fit in better if placed within the article for each specific work. Does anyone have any objections or any other ideas for making this section clearer and more helpful? -- hibou 13:08, 13 November 2006 (UTC)
I think that William H. Gass's book, Reading Rilke, should be added to the list. He translates many of the poems himself, and his absence on this page is mystifying to say the least. Include in that, too, selections from his most recent work of criticism, A Temple of Texts. If i knew how, I'd do it myself.
68.161.238.60 16:29, 16 October 2007 (UTC)
My opinion on the two questions above: I think adding references to translations of each work is a great idea; and, I'm not familiar with Gass's book but if I had the citation details I'd be happy to add it.
My question is this - I would like to create a new article focused solely on Rilke's work, Geschichten vom lieben Gott (Stories of God). The article would focus on the work itself of course and also on how it fits into Rilke's overall body of work. I envision it to include references to prior scholarship as well as external links to three existing English translations. And this last bit is where there is a prima facie conflict of interest. My company has commissioned and owns one of these translations. I've never created an article before and would like guidance on what would be acceptable.
-- Aventureworks ( talk) 21:27, 6 September 2009 (UTC)
He's not, maybe one of the greatest but not the greatest.
It would be great if someone could add the pronunciation of his name, for the ignorants of the world (like me!). Thanks. -- TotoBaggins 15:18, 21 February 2007 (UTC)
From the current form of the article, Rilke's religion is never mentioned, but his mother is mentioned as being Jewish. So it seems as though, from the article, Rilke was Jewish, but he was raised Roman Catholic (Josef Maria should be a dead giveaway). Do we have a reputable source (I just remember his religion being mentioned in a lecture) that can show that he was raised Roman Catholic? I'm going to add it, but also add "citation needed" so that it's clear that a source needs to be found, to clear up the confusion.
Lifthrasir1 06:10, 11 October 2007 (UTC)
Rilke's mother may have been of Jewish background, but she was a devout Catholic herself. The suggestion (if that's what it is) that there is something surprising in Rilke's Catholic upbringing is quite wide of the mark. Any recent biography would be an acceptable citation for this. Fixlein ( talk) 17:04, 31 December 2007 (UTC)
Rilke is regarded as one of the most famous poets in history. His poems are widely regarded as being of a superior quality. This is puzzling because he is almost totally unintelligible. It is not, however, generally permitted to make this statement. Lestrade ( talk) 00:14, 6 May 2008 (UTC)Lestrade
Rilke may be a notable poet with a considerable host of high brow admirers, but his Christian beliefs were offbeat resembling those of Dan Brown, and he may have been infected by the influence of the artist Auguste Rodin. Please read the book and article cited. Rodin's Christ and Mary Magdalene (1894):
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/rodin/rodin_magdalen1.jpg
Wfgh66 ( talk) 14:49, 30 June 2008 (UTC)
HBWDEKDMEDFMELD;KRFRTL/ —Preceding unsigned comment added by 93.86.107.105 ( talk) 19:58, 27 September 2008 (UTC)
However, given the Marien-Leben (1913), which though at times idiosyncratic, contains very little that would be unacceptable dogmatically to any Catholic, is it important to give the early Mary Magdelen views such prominence? I confess I haven't read the Haskins book or article, but it appears to be mostly based on early, unpublished works, written in Rilke's late teens and early twenties. Are we sure he held these views later in life? Have any other Rilke scholars endorsed Haskins' views - if not, I suggest removing this section completely, as it makes Rilke's youthful views on Christ and Mary Magdalen unnecessarily important. And they have nothing to do with "literary style". — Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.7.183.3 ( talk) 23:32, 4 December 2011 (UTC)
Actress Jane Fonda mentioned Rilke in her autobiography? This makes me wonder if the mention of Rilke's name is a way to appear to be romantic or intellectual. I would like to hear actress Jane Fonda discuss the meaning or effect of Rilke's obscure artworks. The "Rilke's influence" section is very long. Many names are dropped as being people who have read and been influenced by Rilke. I wonder if that influence can be communicated? Why do I suspect that Rilke's name is mentioned for effect, especially by people who are in the entertainment field and are therefore often shallowly concerned with mere appearances? Lestrade ( talk) 17:18, 24 June 2009 (UTC)Lestrade
I move to take out the list of Rainer Maria Rilke# Rilke's influence. Thousand of artists have been inspired by Rilke's work - composers, poets, painters etc. just as they have been inspired by Mozart, Shakespeare, Plato or Michelangelo's work. You will find no long list of works inspired by these people in their articles. Spanglej ( talk) 19:41, 28 June 2010 (UTC)
"Rilke changed his first name from "René" to the more masculine Rainer at Lou's urging." This is nonsense. Now it may be nonsense that Lou Andreas-Salomé believed - I don't know so someone else will have to verify and change the wording accordingly. But as a matter of fact René is a perfectly common French masculine name. Renée would be feminine. Axel 00:36, 17 July 2010 (UTC)
Lou thought that Rilke's mother, who was openly disappointed that she had not given birth to a daughter and dressed him as a girl in his infancy, had called him René in order to be ambiguous about his gender. That was why Lou recommended the name change. René may be masculine in French, but, it is closer to Renée than Rainer is. Rilke liked the change. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.156.95.130 ( talk) 19:09, 9 June 2019 (UTC)
When I came across Germanotta's ( Lady Gaga) use of a Rilke quote in the mainstream press, I became intrigued and added the following reference to her article:
This was later removed as "absolutely unnecessary".
Generally, I like these kind of items relating to popular culture to appear in the articles of popular culture, but seeing that it has been removed there and now been brought up here, maybe it could be mentioned. I'm still ambivalent about it, but maybe there is general interest. -- Michael Bednarek ( talk) 13:51, 2 July 2011 (UTC)
I'm not entirely happy with the scope and depth of this article and propose to begin a full-scale revision. Things I don't like: (1) The organization of the biography by years isn't descriptive, replace the years with titles, (2) there doesn't seem to be much connecting biography with work, (3) the list of RMR's works isn't clear because it seems to be a list of everyone else's translations and not a concise list of what RMR wrote, (4) there is little material on the interpretation of his work, its tone, symbols, themes, and the RMR's work in the modernist context and in today's popular understanding/use/interpretation. The intended goal would be to bring RMR to GA status. Does anyone have an suggestions or objections? -- ColonelHenry ( talk) 03:49, 4 August 2012 (UTC)
I removed this from the article because (a) it detracts from Rilke's list of works and (b) there's just too damn many translations and more coming every day. -- ColonelHenry ( talk) 17:27, 9 February 2013 (UTC)
Couldn't this become a separate page on the Wiki? If Rilke is an important poet (on which most who have an opinion likely agree), wouldn't it be preferred to have this as it's own page rather than having it moulder away here? 108.52.119.247 ( talk) 15:45, 8 September 2022 (UTC)
References
BACKSTORY: User:RGloucester edited the article twice to call Rilke "a German Bohemian poet and novelist" [1] and then revised it to describe him as "an Austrian poet and novelist of German Bohemian origin" [2]. The previous versions described him as "a Bohemian- Austrian poet and novelist." These two comments below are from my talk page, I moved them here for germaneness (no pun intended) to this article and to center this ongoing discussion here. Please obtain a consensus that is both historically and ethnically accurate, and I hope this doesn't turn into a petty squabble like the lengthy intransigent battle on whether Armenia was a European country or an Asian country.
"German Bohemian" does not refer to the state. It refers to the ethnicity. It is the term for those Germans from Bohemia. Rilke is one of those. It has absolutely nothing to do with the German Reich. "Austrian" as an ethnicity did not exist until after the fall of the Empire. Previously, they what we now call Austrians would've referred to themselves as Germans. Regardless, Rilke was a German Bohemian. Bohemia was never part of the German state, which only arose in 1871 anyway. RGloucester ( talk) 19:10, 5 May 2013 (UTC)
REMOVED THIS DISCUSSION TO Talk:Rainer Maria Rilke. Comment there.
To RGloucester: Your memo on one of your edits state "German Bohemian has nothing to do with the German state. It is the term for those ethnic Germans from Bohemia. See my message on your talk."
Where is the evidence for the baseless assumption that his mother was Jewish and Slavic? Why are people on wikipedia so obsessed with making non-Jewish people magically Jewish? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2600:1700:69C1:2A00:5D07:6B35:587C:E238 ( talk) 18:51, 29 November 2018 (UTC)
Can someone post the relevant sections from the source used in support of the claim ‘In the United States, Rilke is one of the more popular, best-selling poets—along with 13th-century Sufi mystic Rumi and 20th-century Lebanese-American poet Khalil Gibran’? I don't think Rilke is that well-known here. The source is Rilke in America: A Poet Re-Created by Kathleen Komar. Esszet ( talk) 02:29, 2 August 2013 (UTC)
I'm particularly skeptical about the claim that his mother dressed him in girls' clothes because of gender issues. It was in fact standard for the Austro-Hungarian middle classes to dress young boys in dresses until they reached a certain age, after which they began wearing pants. Maybe the cited source provides further evidence, but the picture of a boy in a dress simply shows that he was a bourgeois boy of that time and place. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.134.193.84 ( talk) 09:16, 1 December 2013 (UTC)
No discussion of his attitudes towards Jews? Didn't he object to Karl Kraus as having a "unrepeatable difference", which the Sidonie Nadherna entry describes as referring to "his Jewish heritage". 14.0.174.140 ( talk) 11:33, 9 June 2020 (UTC)
Section Duino and the First World War (1911–1919) includes, without elaboration, the sentence "From 1914 to 1916 he had a turbulent affair with the painter Lou Albert-Lasard." "Lou" in English is normally a masculine name, usually short for "Louis", which implies that this was a homosexual affair. The article reveals that Lou Albert-Lasard was a woman. Shouldn't this be made clear in the text?
-- Thnidu ( talk) 20:03, 21 September 2020 (UTC)
This address in Prague is curious to me. Herrengasse is German for "Street of the Lords" or "Lords Lane", and exists in Vienna, Graz, and Bern, and so maybe many other cities as well. The Lords referred to proximity of the nobles' residences to the castle. If Herrengasse in Prague was renamed to Panská 8, the location of Panska 8 is across the river, not next to the Castle. The Golden lane in Prague, IS next to the Castle, and WAS home to writers Kafka and Seifert. Can you see where Prague common knowledge would require further documentation about the location of Rilke's childhood ? SalineBrain ( talk) 05:40, 5 August 2021 (UTC)
She is so important that he dedicates his elegies to her, and he may not have heard the voice that inspired him to write his first elegy if he was not invited to stay at her castle. How did Rainer meet Princess Marie?
Edit: I found a book of recollections on Rainer by Princess Marie, perhaps it can be found there.
CalebSohSweeKai ( talk) 09:08, 2 October 2023 (UTC)
No mention that he is the first to ever translate Lao Tzu? 79.106.203.80 ( talk) 08:17, 28 March 2024 (UTC)