Tolstoy's Push Sparks Rilke's Flight
Revamped and Ready
Here's your freshly revamped content on the geniuses Thomas Mann and Rainer Maria Rilke, two literary legends who missed each other's acquaintance by a whisker!
They shared Munich as their home turf around the same time in 1894. But fate, it seems, had other plans as Thomas Mann and Rainer Maria Rilke never crossed paths. Nevertheless, Rilke predicted back in 1902 that Mann's name would be etched in history after writing one of the first reviews on Mann's "Buddenbrooks." It looks like they both have their places in the literary hall of fame, as their 150th birth anniversary is set to be celebrated in 2025.
| Literary Magnates || --- |
At first, Rilke wasn't christened with the name that would become synonymous with genius. He was born René, but his lover Lou Andreas-Salomé, a renowned psychologist, suggested a more masculine alternative—'Rainer.' This interesting tidbit is found in Manfred Koch's biography of Rilke, subtitled "Poet of Fear."
According to Koch, Rilke's art was all about crafting it from fear, a sentiment he expressed to Lou Andreas-Salomé in July 1903. Koch's biography paints a compelling portrait of Rilke's life through the lens of this fear, which he insists was instilled in the young writer by his mother—a woman who raised the sensitive child as a girl before sending him to military school in St. Pölten wearing girls' underwear.
Rilke was not a victim abiding limply in Koch's eyes; in fact, he also becomes the aggressor in his relationships with women like Clara Westhoff. Koch's portrayal of Rilke reveals him as a persuasive suitor seeking emotional and financial support, not unlike a money-minded moocher, especially when one considers his dealings with patrons like Marie von Thurn and Taxis.
| Exploring Rilke: More than a Hagiography |
Koch's biography isn't a biographical reconstruction of Rilke's life; instead, it thoughtfully connects life events with works, albeit with a focus on more successful beginnings. Koch considers "The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge" a key work of modernism, analogous to "great fear art" shaped by Rilke's life-long "mother poisoning."
Yet, Rilke's excessive self-stylization as a "suffering poet" and his invention of aristocratic ancestors and grand names don't escape Koch's critical eye. Even the author's enthusiasm for Russia and his meetings with literary idol Tolstoy evoke laughs, as does his bumbling attempts to impress the legendary writer.
Rilke's fans, old and new, can't help but learn a lot from Koch's biography. Serious insights into Rilke's life and work are coupled with amusing anecdotes, such as the fact that Oliver Kahn—the former goalkeeper of Bayern Munich—can recite Rilke's poem "The Panther" flawlessly!
Amidst the exploration of Rilke's life and work, Koch's biography illuminates his fascination with Russia, a persona trait that echoes in contemporary figures like Oliver Kahn, the former goalkeeper of Bayern Munich, who can recite Rilke's poem "The Panther" perfectly. As the literary spectacle unfolds, it is not just the home-and-garden of Rilke's thoughts that is revamped, but also his portrayal as an entertainer, sports enthusiast, and lover of books, all of which weave together an intricate tapestry of his lifestyle.
