Rilke hat "das deutsche Gedicht zum ersten Mal vollkommen gemacht", urteilte Robert Musil. Grund genug, Leben und Werk in einem eigenen Handbuch unter die Lupe zu nehmen. Von bleibender Aktualität, skeptisch gegenüber allen einseitig rationalen, psychologisch-soziologischen Welterklärungen entwirft Rilke ein Menschenbild mit rein poetischen Mitteln. Rilkes Biografie, seine Beziehungen z.B. zur russischen Literatur und den Dichterinnen Marina Zwetajewa und Anna Achmatova, zur Psychoanalyse und zu anderen Künsten erschließen das Schaffen in allen Schattierungen."The work praises the master" (Goethe). According to Robert Musil, Rainer Maria Rilke was "the first writer to bring the German poem to perfection." In recognition of Rilke's unique talent, Metzler publishers dedicate an entire handbook to the great poet. Rilke, whose work remains topical to the very present, was highly skeptical towards all simplified explanations of the world, be they grounded in rationalism, psychology or sociology. His alternative was to draw a purely poetic image of human existence. The Rilke Handbook sets out to illuminate all shades of Rilke's poetic approach to reality. In addition to Rilke's life and work, the topics explored by the contributors include Rilke's view of psychoanalysis and his relationship with Russian literature, with the Russian poetesses Marina Zwetajewa and Anna Achmatova, and with other art forms. The handbook also briefly reviews the history of Rilke studies.
