The theme of Louth's book is nothing less than Rilke's 'work' itself, more precisely what it means to see his work as having a 'life'...One of the great strengths of Louth's study is the way it opens up thematic patterns within a chronological framework. It shows the life of the work in its overall extension and development, but also shows it gathering preoccupations and dwelling in them-as lives do.
Charlie Louth is Professor of German and Comparative Literature at the University of Oxford and Fellow and Tutor in German, The Queen's College, Oxford.
