New German edition of Rilke's Das Stunden-Buch (The Book of Hours)

 

 

All three volumes of Rainer Maria Rilke's Book of Hours (Das Stunden-Buch) are now out: the first, Das Buch vom mönchischem Leben (The Book of Monastic Life), published in 2014; the second, Das Buch von der Pilgerschaft (The Book of Pilgrimage), published in 2016; and Das Buch von der Armut und vom Tode (The Book of Poverty and Death). This edition is an artpiece in its own right, with each poem coupled, on the facing page, with new black and white photographs by award-winning photographer Klaus Diederich. Those included in vol. 1 were taken in an abbey on the Rhine Island of Nonnenwerth, south of Bonn; those in vol. 2 depict Worpswede and Westerwede together with the surrounding countryside where Rilke lived when writing these poems; and, finally, those in vol. 3 bring images from Paris which occupy these poems, since Rilke lived there during the period just before completing these poems. Each volume includes two CDs, with each of the poems read by the editor-in-chief, Gotthard Fermor together with new musical compositions written and performed by Josef Marschall (piano; vol. 2 includes saxophonist Jürgen Hiekel). Each includes my introduction to the volume of poems in question. Published by Gütersloher Verlag, an affiliate of Random House. To order Vol. 1, click here for Vol. 2, click here; for Vol. 3, click here.