In this book, Alexandros Isaris examines the last seventeen years of the life of Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926), from his first encounter with the owner of the Duino castle, Princess Marie von Thurn und Taxis, in December 1909 to his death in December 1926, particularly illuminating certain periods of his life, where the reader follows the course of a great and fruitful friendship.
The conditions under which the poet was inspired and wrote his great poetic compositions, the impact that the places he visited, the women he met, the friendships he formed, the devastating world war, Duino and the castle of Myzo, had on his psyche, as well as his relationship with various personalities of his time, are explored.
It also mentions details that are likely unknown to the Greek public, such as his aversion to Christianity, his passion for the painting of El Greco, his involvement with spiritualism, and his contacts with members of the European aristocracy. The Greek reader will be surprised to learn that this great poet was preparing a daring cycle of poems that could be titled Phallus Epitaphs.
The edition is accompanied by twenty-one rare photographs, most of which are published for the first time in Greece.
