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Conversations with Rilke
An intimate portrait of Rainer Maria Rilke's life and art in interwar Paris by his friend and translator, offering unparalleled insight into the creative process
A stunningly written, deeply personal biography that’s also a master class in the art of translation, perfect for fans Richard Holmes, Lydia Davis, Kate Briggs and Julian Green
From walks in the Luxembourg Garden to letters describing tea with an irascible Tolstoy, Rainer Maria Rilke's French translator, Maurice Betz, enjoyed a rare intimacy with the great poet. This book, inspired by their time working together on the 1st French translation of Rilke's only novel, invites the reader into that friendship, offering glimpses of Rilke's creative process and the glittering cultural scene of interwar Paris.
Betz first came to Rilke as an admirer, carrying a book of his poems in his kit bag while serving as a soldier in World War I. No other writer meant so much to him, and Rilke would come to mean even more once their fruitful partnership began, lasting until the poet's death in 1926.
Together they spent the spring and summer of 1925 editing Betz’s translation of The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge, a painstaking process interrupted by companionable walks through the streets of Paris and vivaciously told anecdotes from the poet’s starry social world.
This elegant and poignant look at the great writer's final years, drawn from Betz's memories and the letters Rilke sent from his travels across Europe, provides a portrait of a brilliant mind, an evocation of a lost world, and a testament to an enduring friendship.
A stunningly written, deeply personal biography that’s also a master class in the art of translation, perfect for fans Richard Holmes, Lydia Davis, Kate Briggs and Julian Green
From walks in the Luxembourg Garden to letters describing tea with an irascible Tolstoy, Rainer Maria Rilke's French translator, Maurice Betz, enjoyed a rare intimacy with the great poet. This book, inspired by their time working together on the 1st French translation of Rilke's only novel, invites the reader into that friendship, offering glimpses of Rilke's creative process and the glittering cultural scene of interwar Paris.
Betz first came to Rilke as an admirer, carrying a book of his poems in his kit bag while serving as a soldier in World War I. No other writer meant so much to him, and Rilke would come to mean even more once their fruitful partnership began, lasting until the poet's death in 1926.
Together they spent the spring and summer of 1925 editing Betz’s translation of The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge, a painstaking process interrupted by companionable walks through the streets of Paris and vivaciously told anecdotes from the poet’s starry social world.
This elegant and poignant look at the great writer's final years, drawn from Betz's memories and the letters Rilke sent from his travels across Europe, provides a portrait of a brilliant mind, an evocation of a lost world, and a testament to an enduring friendship.
224 pages, Paperback
Published July 29, 2025
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July 5, 2026‘These memories were so vivid in him—travels in Russia. Rilke—at the Russian National Library—read mainly Russian historians, amongst others Karamzin, Solovieff—& a particular tenderness for Russia—sustained by readings and correspondence.’
To have read/finished Letters: Summer 1926 before this had made this (inevitably) an unbearable read. In other words, I enjoyed that one too much to enjoy this. This pales by miles. Dull, to ‘say’ most simply. And to ‘write’ about Rilke’s memories, experiences, and strong affections for Russia without mentioning Marina Tsvetaeva? That leaves me no choice but to shelf this as ‘DNF’, without a breath of hesitation.
May 13, 2025
Book Review: Conversations with Rilke
by Maurice Betz
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Overview
Maurice Betz’s Conversations with Rilke offers an intimate glimpse into the mind of Rainer Maria Rilke, one of the most enigmatic and influential poets of the 20th century. Translated into English as part of the Pushkin Press Classics series, this work chronicles Betz’s collaboration with Rilke during their translation of The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge, Rilke’s only novel. Blending memoir, literary criticism, and cultural history, the book captures Rilke’s philosophical musings, creative process, and the vibrant Parisian intellectual milieu of the early 1900s.
Themes and Content
Betz structures the narrative around key conversations with Rilke, revealing:
-The Poet’s Inner World: Rilke’s reflections on art, solitude, and the transformative power of language.
-Creative Labor: Insights into his meticulous translation process and the symbiotic relationship between poet and translator.
-Paris as Muse: The city’s role in shaping Rilke’s work, from its artistic ferment to its darker, existential undercurrents.
-Legacy and Influence: Betz’s personal anecdotes underscore Rilke’s enduring impact on contemporaries and future generations.
The book excels in portraying Rilke’s contradictions—his fragility and brilliance, his reverence for beauty and grappling with mortality.
Writing Style and Structure
Betz’s prose is elegant and evocative, mirroring Rilke’s lyrical sensibility. The hybrid format—part dialogue, part essay—creates a dynamic rhythm, though some transitions between anecdotes feel abrupt. The translation (by Will Stone, per related sources) preserves the original’s poetic cadence, making it accessible to English readers without sacrificing depth.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths:
-Unique Perspective: Betz’s firsthand account offers rare access to Rilke’s unguarded thoughts.
-Cultural Vignettes: Vivid depictions of interwar Paris enrich the literary analysis.
-Emotional Resonance: The bond between Betz and Rilke lends warmth to scholarly rigor.
Weaknesses:
-Niche Appeal: Those unfamiliar with Rilke’s work may find certain passages esoteric.
-Fragmentary Moments: Some conversations feel truncated, leaving readers wanting deeper exploration.
Section Scoring Breakdown (0–5)
-Originality: 5/5 – A fresh, personal lens on a canonical figure.
-Narrative Quality: 4/5 – Poetic but occasionally disjointed.
-Thematic Depth: 4.5/5 – Balances biography, art, and philosophy adeptly.
-Emotional Engagement: 4/5 – Intimate yet restrained.
-Structural Cohesion: 3.5/5 – Loses momentum in middle sections.
Final Verdict
Conversations with Rilke is a gem for Rilke devotees and scholars of modernist literature. Betz’s blend of memoir and criticism illuminates the poet’s genius while humanizing his legend. Though uneven in pacing, its lyrical prose and historical richness make it a rewarding read.
★★★★☆ (4/5) – A luminous, if imperfect, portrait of artistic symbiosis.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author, Maurice Betz, for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
by Maurice Betz
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Overview
Maurice Betz’s Conversations with Rilke offers an intimate glimpse into the mind of Rainer Maria Rilke, one of the most enigmatic and influential poets of the 20th century. Translated into English as part of the Pushkin Press Classics series, this work chronicles Betz’s collaboration with Rilke during their translation of The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge, Rilke’s only novel. Blending memoir, literary criticism, and cultural history, the book captures Rilke’s philosophical musings, creative process, and the vibrant Parisian intellectual milieu of the early 1900s.
Themes and Content
Betz structures the narrative around key conversations with Rilke, revealing:
-The Poet’s Inner World: Rilke’s reflections on art, solitude, and the transformative power of language.
-Creative Labor: Insights into his meticulous translation process and the symbiotic relationship between poet and translator.
-Paris as Muse: The city’s role in shaping Rilke’s work, from its artistic ferment to its darker, existential undercurrents.
-Legacy and Influence: Betz’s personal anecdotes underscore Rilke’s enduring impact on contemporaries and future generations.
The book excels in portraying Rilke’s contradictions—his fragility and brilliance, his reverence for beauty and grappling with mortality.
Writing Style and Structure
Betz’s prose is elegant and evocative, mirroring Rilke’s lyrical sensibility. The hybrid format—part dialogue, part essay—creates a dynamic rhythm, though some transitions between anecdotes feel abrupt. The translation (by Will Stone, per related sources) preserves the original’s poetic cadence, making it accessible to English readers without sacrificing depth.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths:
-Unique Perspective: Betz’s firsthand account offers rare access to Rilke’s unguarded thoughts.
-Cultural Vignettes: Vivid depictions of interwar Paris enrich the literary analysis.
-Emotional Resonance: The bond between Betz and Rilke lends warmth to scholarly rigor.
Weaknesses:
-Niche Appeal: Those unfamiliar with Rilke’s work may find certain passages esoteric.
-Fragmentary Moments: Some conversations feel truncated, leaving readers wanting deeper exploration.
Section Scoring Breakdown (0–5)
-Originality: 5/5 – A fresh, personal lens on a canonical figure.
-Narrative Quality: 4/5 – Poetic but occasionally disjointed.
-Thematic Depth: 4.5/5 – Balances biography, art, and philosophy adeptly.
-Emotional Engagement: 4/5 – Intimate yet restrained.
-Structural Cohesion: 3.5/5 – Loses momentum in middle sections.
Final Verdict
Conversations with Rilke is a gem for Rilke devotees and scholars of modernist literature. Betz’s blend of memoir and criticism illuminates the poet’s genius while humanizing his legend. Though uneven in pacing, its lyrical prose and historical richness make it a rewarding read.
★★★★☆ (4/5) – A luminous, if imperfect, portrait of artistic symbiosis.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author, Maurice Betz, for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
May 31, 2025
My thanks to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for an advance copy of this memoir and collection of memories about a translator and his relationship with a poet, their discussions, their work and their legacy.
I have been fortunate to meet a few of the people whose art have allowed me to deal with life and its many annoyances and travails. One has to understand in meeting people that one considers heroes that this meeting might be the most important day of one's life. To the hero or heroine, it might be just another Tuesday. A few that I have meet exceeded all my hopes, a few were perfunctory and fine, a few were jerks. One is told not to meet heroes, for what happens if things go wrong. Does on think less of the work that touched a person in so many ways? There are many questions and lots of fears, the largest being rejection, something that bother almost all of us. Thankfully none of this happened to the translator and writer Maurice Betz, when he wrote a letter to his literary hero. And we are all the better for it. Conversations with Rilke by Maurice Betz, translated from the French by Will Stone, is a biography of a translator, a poet, the times they shared, and what happened after.
Maurice Betz was at a loss as so many men were at the end of the First World War. The world was a darker place than once was thought, damaged bodies and minds seemed to be everywhere, as well as a lack of purpose. Betz though had a plan. Being a reader, a writer and poet, Betz had carried in his bag throughout most of the war a copy of a book by the poet René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke, better known as Ranier Maria Rilke. Betz was fascinated by the work, and was drawn to it in ways he didn't understand. Rilke was Austrian, but living in Paris, and Betz had the idea, more of a calling that Betz would be the best to translate Rilke from German into French. So Betz sent a letter, explaining his love of Rilke, his ideas, and including a chapbook of poems from another writer by accident. This might have caught Rilke's interest as the poet wrote back, and soon both men were working on translating The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge. Between long sessions finding the right works, the men would walk the streets of Paris, discussing art, literature, and the many rich celebs that were drawn to Rilke. This was a friendship that continued after Rilke's death, until Betz's strange passing in 1960.
A book that is a biography about a translator, a memoir of a poet living in Paris, and a series of essays dealing with art, people, and of course Paris. The book is very well written, and for a book of such a small size is very descriptive about things that should not be interesting, but are fascinating nonetheless. Betz describes the paper that Rilke uses in letters, the handwriting, the words, and one is brought back to a time of letters, and discussions. Betz lets Rilke discuss life and follows up with his own thoughts and ideas, raising even more questions. The translation by Stone is very smooth, one really gets a feeling that one is sitting in a cafe listening to Betz discuss his day. I really liked the information about translating, why this word would work, and not that. The give and take between the two that never really is discussed in many books.
Fans of Rilke will find this a treasure that has been lost for quite awhile. Those, like myself who find the idea of translating works from one language to another will also learn about the process and how difficult translating can be. A really one of a kind book, about a time where words were thought to change the world.
I have been fortunate to meet a few of the people whose art have allowed me to deal with life and its many annoyances and travails. One has to understand in meeting people that one considers heroes that this meeting might be the most important day of one's life. To the hero or heroine, it might be just another Tuesday. A few that I have meet exceeded all my hopes, a few were perfunctory and fine, a few were jerks. One is told not to meet heroes, for what happens if things go wrong. Does on think less of the work that touched a person in so many ways? There are many questions and lots of fears, the largest being rejection, something that bother almost all of us. Thankfully none of this happened to the translator and writer Maurice Betz, when he wrote a letter to his literary hero. And we are all the better for it. Conversations with Rilke by Maurice Betz, translated from the French by Will Stone, is a biography of a translator, a poet, the times they shared, and what happened after.
Maurice Betz was at a loss as so many men were at the end of the First World War. The world was a darker place than once was thought, damaged bodies and minds seemed to be everywhere, as well as a lack of purpose. Betz though had a plan. Being a reader, a writer and poet, Betz had carried in his bag throughout most of the war a copy of a book by the poet René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke, better known as Ranier Maria Rilke. Betz was fascinated by the work, and was drawn to it in ways he didn't understand. Rilke was Austrian, but living in Paris, and Betz had the idea, more of a calling that Betz would be the best to translate Rilke from German into French. So Betz sent a letter, explaining his love of Rilke, his ideas, and including a chapbook of poems from another writer by accident. This might have caught Rilke's interest as the poet wrote back, and soon both men were working on translating The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge. Between long sessions finding the right works, the men would walk the streets of Paris, discussing art, literature, and the many rich celebs that were drawn to Rilke. This was a friendship that continued after Rilke's death, until Betz's strange passing in 1960.
A book that is a biography about a translator, a memoir of a poet living in Paris, and a series of essays dealing with art, people, and of course Paris. The book is very well written, and for a book of such a small size is very descriptive about things that should not be interesting, but are fascinating nonetheless. Betz describes the paper that Rilke uses in letters, the handwriting, the words, and one is brought back to a time of letters, and discussions. Betz lets Rilke discuss life and follows up with his own thoughts and ideas, raising even more questions. The translation by Stone is very smooth, one really gets a feeling that one is sitting in a cafe listening to Betz discuss his day. I really liked the information about translating, why this word would work, and not that. The give and take between the two that never really is discussed in many books.
Fans of Rilke will find this a treasure that has been lost for quite awhile. Those, like myself who find the idea of translating works from one language to another will also learn about the process and how difficult translating can be. A really one of a kind book, about a time where words were thought to change the world.
June 7, 2025
During his WWI service, seventeen-year-old Maurice Betz had with him a volume of poetry by Rainer Maria Rilke. In 1925, Betz worked with Rilke to translate his novel The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge into French. Conversations with Rilke is his memoir about this time.
Betz brings alive the poet as a person. How he loved walking in the Luxembourg Gardens. How Rilke laughed “in an almost guttural voice, his eyelids pursed into little creases, his head shaken by nods.” We learn of the books he read, enjoying Colette’s “fire of the senses and the natural freshness found in her spontaneous images.”
Rilke enchanted listeners with his stories, a “fine-spun net of memories and phantoms in which he himself seemed imprisoned.”
Rilke’s letters are shared, one noting how the Notebooks came to be. “I have always written very rapidly,” Rilke wrote; “many of my New Poems are somehow written by themselves, sometimes several in one day, in the definitive form.” But the Notebooks were a different story. “The figure of Malte was pursuing me.” The book was “a chopped up, fractured rhythm,” images and memories leading him into “a number of unforseen directions.”
Betz shares Rilke’s attention to detail, craftsmanship learned from Rodin, thoughtfully choosing the correct words for translating his German into French.
Rilke passed in 1926, making this a wonderful contribution to understanding the mature poet. I found it a wonderful read.
Thanks to the publisher for a free book through NetGalley.
Betz brings alive the poet as a person. How he loved walking in the Luxembourg Gardens. How Rilke laughed “in an almost guttural voice, his eyelids pursed into little creases, his head shaken by nods.” We learn of the books he read, enjoying Colette’s “fire of the senses and the natural freshness found in her spontaneous images.”
Rilke enchanted listeners with his stories, a “fine-spun net of memories and phantoms in which he himself seemed imprisoned.”
Rilke’s letters are shared, one noting how the Notebooks came to be. “I have always written very rapidly,” Rilke wrote; “many of my New Poems are somehow written by themselves, sometimes several in one day, in the definitive form.” But the Notebooks were a different story. “The figure of Malte was pursuing me.” The book was “a chopped up, fractured rhythm,” images and memories leading him into “a number of unforseen directions.”
Betz shares Rilke’s attention to detail, craftsmanship learned from Rodin, thoughtfully choosing the correct words for translating his German into French.
Rilke passed in 1926, making this a wonderful contribution to understanding the mature poet. I found it a wonderful read.
Thanks to the publisher for a free book through NetGalley.
July 10, 2025
Conversations with Rilke by Maurice Betz in a personal and intimate look on the relationship between friends, interpreter and author, admirer and idol – and so many things more. Betz talks about his personal relationship with Rilke’s work, his admiration for it and the events that lead to their collaboration. From there you watch a true friendship build and you get a wonderful insight into the world of translating and keeping true to the artists intent within a work.
I had read some of Rilke’s work previously, but I am not overly familiar, however this was not a hindrance upon starting this book. You get to know Rilke as his friends knew him. You get to know his habits and quirks, and what goes into making great work.
If you are interested in reading translated work I think this is a beautiful insight into how the process can work and what matters when making work accessible across languages with different words, references and history.
(Thanks to Netgalley and Pushkin Press for early access)
I had read some of Rilke’s work previously, but I am not overly familiar, however this was not a hindrance upon starting this book. You get to know Rilke as his friends knew him. You get to know his habits and quirks, and what goes into making great work.
If you are interested in reading translated work I think this is a beautiful insight into how the process can work and what matters when making work accessible across languages with different words, references and history.
(Thanks to Netgalley and Pushkin Press for early access)
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews