The Best Books of the 20th Century/: Rilke

[Jeremy Rice]

Lorentzen / Nicklaus wrote in respose to an inquiry about Rolf Dieter Brinkmann:

> And "Westwaerts 1 & 2" is the most intensive German book of poetry
> since Rilke's "Duineser Elegien".

(I'm not sure if it's been mentioned yet that) William Gass just released a new book
of criticism: "Reading Rilke: Reflections on the Problem of Translation" (256
pages--Knopf ISBN 0375403124).  I haven't attempted it yet, but did enjoy Douglas
Hofstadter's critical/clinical look at the problem of poetic translation in "Le Ton
Beau de Marot" (1997).  At the end of the Gass book he's supposed to have several
personal translations of Rilke, which from what I've heard might be the best yet.

~JsR~