Unreading Rilke : Unorthodox Approaches to a Cultural Myth

For too long, Rainer Maria Rilke's poetry has been glorified without looking at the man behind the author of the Duino Elegies, Sonnets to Orpheus, and the Dinggedichte. Rilke was a liar, an opportunist, and a terrible father. Unreading Rilke subjects his oeuvre to a critical, unorthodox reading. The essays collected in this book offer new insights into Rilke's psyche, his Duino Elegies, his impact on Hollywood and Russian art, and his influence on other authors. Literary theory, postmodernism, cultural studies, gender studies, and psychoanalysis help debunk the myth of Rainer Maria Rilke.This book contains contributions in English and German.