Letters to a Young Poet - Softcover

Letters to a Young Poet is a collection of ten letters written by Bohemian-Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926) to Franz Xaver Kappus (1883-1966), a 19-year-old officer cadet. Rilke, the son of an Austrian army officer, had studied at the academy in the 1890s. Kappus corresponded with the popular poet and author from 1902 to 1908 seeking his advice as to the quality of his poetry, and in deciding between a literary career or a career as an officer in the Austro-Hungarian Army. Kappus compiled and published the letters in 1929-three years after Rilke's death from leukemia.