-
Letters to a Young Poet
- (Penguin Classics)
- Narrated by: Dan Stevens, Max Deacon
- Length: 1 hr and 51 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $18.58
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Rilke
- Selected Poems
- By: Rainer Maria Rilke, Stephen Mitchell
- Narrated by: Stephen Mitchell
- Length: 1 hr and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rainer Maria Rilke has been called the most significant and compelling poet of spiritual experience of the 20th century. His exploration of the struggle between life and art and the supremacy of divine love over personal love has touched the hearts of men and women everywhere. The poems in this reading are from the selected poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke, edited and translated by Stephen Mitchell. Also featured are new translations made exclusively for this program.
-
-
Beautifully Translated and Read
- By Andre on 11-12-19
By: Rainer Maria Rilke, and others
-
The Dark Interval
- Letters on Loss, Grief, and Transformation
- By: Ulrich Baer - translator, Rainer Maria Rilke
- Narrated by: Rosanne Cash, Ulrich Baer
- Length: 2 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gleaned from Rainer Maria Rilke's voluminous, never-before-translated letters to bereaved friends and acquaintances, The Dark Interval is a profound vision of the mourning process and a meditation on death's place in our lives. Following the format of Letters to a Young Poet, this book arranges Rilke's letters into an uninterrupted sequence, showcasing the full range of the great author's thoughts on death and dying as well as his sensitive and moving expressions of consolation and condolence.
-
-
touched by magic
- By Vanessa Nazarek on 03-01-20
By: Ulrich Baer - translator, and others
-
Letters to a Young Poet
- By: Charlie Louth - translator, Lewis Hyde - introduction, Rainer Maria Rilke
- Narrated by: Dan Stevens, Max Deacon
- Length: 1 hr and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the start of the 20th century, Rainer Maria Rilke wrote a series of letters to a young officer cadet, advising him on writing, love, sex, suffering, and the nature of advice itself. These profound and lyrical letters have since become hugely influential for generations of writers and artists of all kinds, including Lady Gaga and Patti Smith. With honesty, elegance, and a deep understanding of the loneliness that often comes with being an artist, Rilke's letters are an endless source of inspiration and comfort.
-
-
Beautiful, one disappointment
- By Jessica on 01-13-19
By: Charlie Louth - translator, and others
-
Letters to a Young Poet
- A New Translation and Commentary
- By: Rainer Maria Rilke, Anita Barrows - translator, Joanna Macy - translator
- Narrated by: Trevor White
- Length: 1 hr and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
German poet Rainer Maria Rilke’s (1875-1926) Letters to a Young Poet has been treasured for nearly a century. Rilke’s personal reflections on the vocation of writing and the experience of living urge an aspiring poet to look inward, while also offering sage wisdom on further issues including gender, solitude, and romantic love. Barrows and Macy’s translation extends this compilation of timeless advice and wisdom to a fresh generation of readers and listeners.
-
-
definitely a book that should be experienced
- By Amber Snape on 11-29-21
By: Rainer Maria Rilke, and others
-
One Hundred Years of Solitude
- By: Gabriel García Márquez, Gregory Rabassa - translator
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the 20th century's enduring works, One Hundred Years of Solitude is a widely beloved and acclaimed novel known throughout the world and the ultimate achievement in a Nobel Prize-winning career. The novel tells the story of the rise and fall of the mythical town of Macondo through the history of the Buendía family. Rich and brilliant, it is a chronicle of life, death, and the tragicomedy of humankind. In the beautiful, ridiculous, and tawdry story of the Buendía family, one sees all of humanity, just as in the history, myths, growth, and decay of Macondo, one sees all of Latin America.
-
-
Outstanding Audiobook!
- By Greg on 02-26-14
By: Gabriel García Márquez, and others
-
The Poet's Guide to Life
- The Wisdom of Rilke
- By: Edited, Translated by Ulrich Baer
- Narrated by: Ethan Hawke
- Length: 3 hrs and 6 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this treasury of uncommon wisdom and spiritual insight, the best writings and personal philosophies of one of the 20th century's greatest poets, Rainer Maria Rilke, are gleaned by Ulrich Baer from thousands of pages of never-before translated correspondence.
-
-
Beautiful - Light - Deep
- By John Campbell on 03-16-18
By: Edited, and others
-
Rilke
- Selected Poems
- By: Rainer Maria Rilke, Stephen Mitchell
- Narrated by: Stephen Mitchell
- Length: 1 hr and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rainer Maria Rilke has been called the most significant and compelling poet of spiritual experience of the 20th century. His exploration of the struggle between life and art and the supremacy of divine love over personal love has touched the hearts of men and women everywhere. The poems in this reading are from the selected poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke, edited and translated by Stephen Mitchell. Also featured are new translations made exclusively for this program.
-
-
Beautifully Translated and Read
- By Andre on 11-12-19
By: Rainer Maria Rilke, and others
-
The Dark Interval
- Letters on Loss, Grief, and Transformation
- By: Ulrich Baer - translator, Rainer Maria Rilke
- Narrated by: Rosanne Cash, Ulrich Baer
- Length: 2 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gleaned from Rainer Maria Rilke's voluminous, never-before-translated letters to bereaved friends and acquaintances, The Dark Interval is a profound vision of the mourning process and a meditation on death's place in our lives. Following the format of Letters to a Young Poet, this book arranges Rilke's letters into an uninterrupted sequence, showcasing the full range of the great author's thoughts on death and dying as well as his sensitive and moving expressions of consolation and condolence.
-
-
touched by magic
- By Vanessa Nazarek on 03-01-20
By: Ulrich Baer - translator, and others
-
Letters to a Young Poet
- By: Charlie Louth - translator, Lewis Hyde - introduction, Rainer Maria Rilke
- Narrated by: Dan Stevens, Max Deacon
- Length: 1 hr and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the start of the 20th century, Rainer Maria Rilke wrote a series of letters to a young officer cadet, advising him on writing, love, sex, suffering, and the nature of advice itself. These profound and lyrical letters have since become hugely influential for generations of writers and artists of all kinds, including Lady Gaga and Patti Smith. With honesty, elegance, and a deep understanding of the loneliness that often comes with being an artist, Rilke's letters are an endless source of inspiration and comfort.
-
-
Beautiful, one disappointment
- By Jessica on 01-13-19
By: Charlie Louth - translator, and others
-
Letters to a Young Poet
- A New Translation and Commentary
- By: Rainer Maria Rilke, Anita Barrows - translator, Joanna Macy - translator
- Narrated by: Trevor White
- Length: 1 hr and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
German poet Rainer Maria Rilke’s (1875-1926) Letters to a Young Poet has been treasured for nearly a century. Rilke’s personal reflections on the vocation of writing and the experience of living urge an aspiring poet to look inward, while also offering sage wisdom on further issues including gender, solitude, and romantic love. Barrows and Macy’s translation extends this compilation of timeless advice and wisdom to a fresh generation of readers and listeners.
-
-
definitely a book that should be experienced
- By Amber Snape on 11-29-21
By: Rainer Maria Rilke, and others
-
One Hundred Years of Solitude
- By: Gabriel García Márquez, Gregory Rabassa - translator
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the 20th century's enduring works, One Hundred Years of Solitude is a widely beloved and acclaimed novel known throughout the world and the ultimate achievement in a Nobel Prize-winning career. The novel tells the story of the rise and fall of the mythical town of Macondo through the history of the Buendía family. Rich and brilliant, it is a chronicle of life, death, and the tragicomedy of humankind. In the beautiful, ridiculous, and tawdry story of the Buendía family, one sees all of humanity, just as in the history, myths, growth, and decay of Macondo, one sees all of Latin America.
-
-
Outstanding Audiobook!
- By Greg on 02-26-14
By: Gabriel García Márquez, and others
-
The Poet's Guide to Life
- The Wisdom of Rilke
- By: Edited, Translated by Ulrich Baer
- Narrated by: Ethan Hawke
- Length: 3 hrs and 6 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this treasury of uncommon wisdom and spiritual insight, the best writings and personal philosophies of one of the 20th century's greatest poets, Rainer Maria Rilke, are gleaned by Ulrich Baer from thousands of pages of never-before translated correspondence.
-
-
Beautiful - Light - Deep
- By John Campbell on 03-16-18
By: Edited, and others
-
Duino Elegies and The Sonnets to Orpheus
- By: Rainer Maria Rilke, Stephen Mitchell - translator
- Narrated by: Stephen Mitchell
- Length: 1 hr and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke addresses the issues of God, death, and "destructive time." Rilke tries to transform these problems into an inner world, what he calls "a whole inner world as if an angel, comprehending all space, were blind and looking into himself." Eminent author and translator Stephen Mitchell brings these ideas vividly to life in this new translation of Rilke's most transcendent works.
-
-
Numbing Reading of a Great Poet
- By sleiii on 03-16-18
By: Rainer Maria Rilke, and others
-
At Blackwater Pond
- Mary Oliver reads Mary Oliver
- By: Mary Oliver
- Narrated by: Mary Oliver
- Length: 1 hr
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mary Oliver has published fifteen volumes of poetry and five books of prose in the span of four decades, but she rarely performs her poetry in live readings. Now, with the arrival of At Blackwater Pond, Mary Oliver has given her audience what they've longed to hear: the poet's voice reading her own work.
-
-
High Hopes
- By Sara on 12-19-15
By: Mary Oliver
-
The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge
- By: Rainer Maria Rilke
- Narrated by: Jamie Parker
- Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge (Die Aufzeichnungen des Malte Laurids Brigge) has been described as an anti-novel. It is set in Paris in the period just before the First World War, but it presents a bleaker milieu than that described by Proust. The language is terse, the atmosphere painful, the images uncompromising. Rilke drew on the short period he spent in Paris in 1903 where, in contrast to the rural circumstances in which he had lived before, he found the underbelly of urban life distressing.
-
Seamus Heaney II Collected Poems (published 1979-1991)
- Field Work; Station Island; The Haw Lantern; Seeing Things
- By: Seamus Heaney
- Narrated by: Seamus Heaney
- Length: 5 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Volume two of the definitive collection of Seamus Heaney reading his own work, recorded in 2009 by RTE. Volume two contains four collections published between 1979 and 1991: Field Work, Station Island, The Haw Lantern and Seeing Things.
-
-
Exceptional
- By Laura Raff-Tierney on 04-30-19
By: Seamus Heaney
-
Seamus Heaney III Collected Poems (published 1996-2010)
- The Spirit Level; Electric Light; District and Circle; Human Chain
- By: Seamus Heaney
- Narrated by: Seamus Heaney
- Length: 4 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Volume three of the definitive collection of Seamus Heaney reading his own work, recorded in in 2009 by RTE. Volume three contains four collections published between 1996 and 2010: The Spirit Level, Electric Light, District and Circle and Human Chain. To the RTE recordings Faber has added live readings by the poet of 11 poems from his 12th and final collection, Human Chain (2010).
By: Seamus Heaney
-
In the Company of Rilke
- Why a 20th-Century Visionary Poet Speaks So Eloquently to 21st-Century Readers
- By: Stephanie Dowrick
- Narrated by: Stephanie Dowrick
- Length: 12 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rainer Maria Rilke was a giant of twentieth-century writing who remains a rare visionary voice for our own time. This audio edition of Dr. Stephanie Dowrick's acclaimed book allows you literally to "hear" how and why Rilke's extraordinary words continue to captivate readers, not least through his profound understanding of the depth and beauty of human existence.
-
-
Delicately & Nobly Written ....
- By Essam Rajab on 12-20-15
-
Niels Lyhne
- By: J.P. Jacobsen
- Narrated by: TJ Lewis
- Length: 6 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Niels Lyhne chronicles the titular character's renunciation of his faith, the loss he suffered, and ultimately, his disillusionment and death. Niels Lyhne shows the individual's helplessness and serves as a critique of both faith and atheism. It is considered as one of Danish literature’s greatest novels.
-
-
Brilliant
- By Mark on 07-21-21
By: J.P. Jacobsen
-
The Odyssey
- The Fitzgerald Translation
- By: Homer, Robert Fitzgerald - translator
- Narrated by: Dan Stevens
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Robert Fitzgerald's translation of The Odyssey has been the standard translation for more than three generations of students and poets. Macmillan Audio is delighted to publish the first ever audio edition of this classic work, the greatest of all epic poems. Fitzgerald's supple verse is ideally suited for audio, recounting the story of Odysseus' long journey back to his wife and home after the Trojan War. Homer's tale of love, adventure, food and drink, sensual pleasure, and mortal danger reaches the English-language listener in all its glory.
-
-
"A god moved him--who knows?"
- By Jefferson on 07-25-18
By: Homer, and others
-
The Poems of T. S. Eliot
- Read by Jeremy Irons
- By: T. S. Eliot
- Narrated by: Jeremy Irons, Dame Eileen Atkins
- Length: 3 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4, Jeremy Irons' perceptive reading illuminates the poetry of T. S. Eliot in all its complexity. Major poems range from 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' through the post-war desolation of 'The Waste Land' and the spiritual struggle of 'Ash-Wednesday', to the enduring charm of 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'.
-
-
Horribly Frustrating to Follow
- By AVS on 06-18-18
By: T. S. Eliot
-
Dream Guidance
- Connecting to the Soul Through Dream Incubation
- By: Machiel Klerk
- Narrated by: Machiel Klerk
- Length: 4 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Everyone dreams—both literally and metaphorically—but most people don't know that their dreams can be used for personal development. Therapist, dream expert, and founder of the Jung Society of Utah and the Jung Platform Machiel Klerk shares how, through dream incubation, you can manifest the life of your dreams just by cultivating an intimate relationship with your own dreams and taking the guidance you receive from your subconscious. If you ask the right question and keep an open mind, your dream will give you an answer.
-
-
When student is ready the teacher appears
- By diesonne on 06-17-22
By: Machiel Klerk
-
Thomas Merton on the Poetry and Letters of Rainer Maria Rilke
- By: Thomas Merton
- Narrated by: Thomas Merton
- Length: 5 hrs and 32 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Before entering the monastery, Thomas Merton studied English at Columbia University and taught literature at St. Bonaventure University. His passion for literature never faded, and now, you have the rare opportunity to take Thomas Merton as your guide in this set of his outstanding, remastered talks. Delivered to the community at the Abbey of Gethsemani in 1965 and 1966, Merton’s talks examine one of his favorite poets: Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926).
-
-
How can you find anything more authentic?
- By Erik Eierud on 05-22-18
By: Thomas Merton
-
Seamus Heaney I Collected Poems (published 1966-1975)
- Death of a Naturalist; Door into the Dark; Wintering Out; North
- By: Seamus Heaney
- Narrated by: Seamus Heaney
- Length: 3 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Volume one of the definitive collection of Seamus Heaney reading his own work, recorded in 2009 by RTE. Volume one contains four collections published between 1966 and 1975: Death of a Naturalist, Door into the Dark, Wintering Out and North.
-
-
Like nothing I've ever heard before oh, this is ar
- By DCinNM on 08-23-20
By: Seamus Heaney
Publisher's Summary
Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke, read by Max Deacon and Dan Stevens.
At the start of the 20th century, Rainer Maria Rilke wrote a series of letters to a young officer cadet, advising him on writing, love, sex, suffering and the nature of advice itself; these profound and lyrical letters have since become hugely influential for writers and artists of all kinds. This book also contains the 'Letter from a Young Worker', a striking polemic against Christianity written in letter form near the end of Rilke's life.
In Lewis Hyde's introduction, he explores the context in which these letters were written and how the author embraced his isolation as a creative force. Charlie Louth's afterword discusses the similarities and contrasts of the two works and Rilke's religious and sexual wordplay.
This edition also contains a chronology, notes, and suggested further reading.
More from the same
What listeners say about Letters to a Young Poet
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 01-22-22
Beautifully written, beautifully narrated
Gentle yet wise. That will explain the book.
Props to the publisher for the soothing narration and soundtrack.
N.B. keep in mind that Rilke wrote these letters without any intention to publish. Therefore, read them as you are reading a letter received by a friend, not as a classic you read in a typical afternoon.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 04-30-19
Superb!
I listen to the audiobook for thousand times and each time I gain something new. Dan Steven's performance is more than perfect.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- MeBeVerryAlive
- 02-27-18
A beautiful collection
The wisdom lovingly laid out by this amazing wordsmith was like taking a refreshing sip of spring water as it dripped off. the mountain side.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- LH3748
- 10-23-18
Simply AMAZING!
Dan Stevens is sooo easy to listen to, and Rilke's classic is PERFECTION with his narration. This is the best book on Audible!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- LitEzzie
- 08-03-22
Beautiful
beautiful words of a beautiful artist and it's performed so well! hands down one of my favorite audiobooks!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Marlene Woods
- 05-05-22
Voice
I thank the Rilke, but in Dan’s voice, the words soothe my soul with depth.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Carole
- 11-25-21
Interesting and inspiring
Narration excellent.
These letters offer what appears to be honest and deep insight into Rilke’s thoughts and philosophy. The author offers thoughts and opinions on various subjects - including some mature subjects.
I listened to it multiple times. Worth a read.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ida
- 07-10-20
Highly recommended
I loved it! His words are so beautiful. He gives explanations to thought and feelings many of us do not know how to express.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Vanessa Nazarek
- 02-27-20
soul food
wonders if the author knew when he was writing this book ..it would be feeding my soul in 2020 truly a blessed experience!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 02-11-20
Absolutely wonderful!!!
There's so much wisdom in it that I hardly can put anything into place yet, I will need to hear it again and again... It's the endless source of inspiration!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- tamara
- 11-04-19
Truisms from another era
What a treat to be privvy to the communication and thinkings of such a deep thinker and emotional being. I found the scribbles of these letters thoughtful, intentional and intimate. A book I will return to to keep sourcing new truisms.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- douglas
- 03-08-18
Brilliant reading, beautiful thoughts.
Great philosophy on art and creativity. If you are aspiring read and re-read. It's read vith capability and intelligence.
The letters are of course of their time and could do with a little emancipation regarding woman's role in art but taken all in all this is a espiltiliary of importance.
2 people found this helpful