'You Must Change Your Life': why Rilke matters

Course Dates: 14/06/25
Time: 10:30 - 16:30
Location: Keeley Street
Tutors: 
Laurie Smith
We explore how the poet Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926) wrestled with some of the deepest issues of the modern spirit, such as the need for non-religious faith and the importance of art to give meaning to life, through writing beautiful, deeply moving poems.
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Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £45.00

'You Must Change Your Life': why Rilke matters
  • Course Code: HLT52
  • Dates: 14/06/25 - 14/06/25
  • Time: 10:30 - 16:30
  • Taught: Sat, Daytime
  • Duration: 1 session
  • Location: Keeley Street
  • Tutor: Laurie Smith

Course Code: HLT52

Sat, day, 14 Jun - 14 Jun '25

Duration: 1 session

Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.

What is the course about?

In this in-college course we explore how the poet Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926) wrestled with some of the deepest issues of the modern spirit, such as the need for non-religious faith and the importance of art to give meaning to life, through writing beautiful, deeply moving poems.

What will we cover?

We will sketch the life of Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 – 1926) including his unhappy childhood, his restless wanderings throughout Europe, his period as secretary to the sculptor Rodin, his sometimes ambiguous relationships with women and his early death from leukaemia. Against this background we will read and discuss some of his major short poems from New Poems (1908), extracts from the Duino Elegies and a number of the Sonnets to Orpheus, the rapturous outpouring near the end of his life. We will try to illuminate their meaning by referring to his novel, The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge, and to Letters to a Young Poet published after his death.

We will read the poems and prose in English translation with the German originals available for those who wish. We will use Martyn Crucefix’s translation of the Duino Elegies and sometimes compare a couple of versions of the shorter poems to help us understand the beauty and subtlety of Rilke’s writing.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

• Understand how Rilke responded to the spiritual conditions of the late 19th and early 20th century.
• Appreciate his originality.
• Enjoy reading and discussing some great poems.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?


You should be interested in modern poetry. No other particular skills are needed.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

The sessions are run in a seminar style with all students included in discussions led by the tutor. You will receive copies of the materials the previous week so you can read them to be ready to discuss them.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

No, photocopies of the poems will be provided. You may find it useful to bring a notebook and pen.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

Look for other Poetry courses at www.citylit.ac.uk under History, Culture and Writing/Literature/Poetry.

Laurie Smith

Laurie Smith has taught poetry writing and literature courses at the City Lit for some years, focussing on modernism and writers' radicalism. He researches and lectures at King's College London, helped to found Magma poetry magazine which he sometimes edits and has been a Trustee of the Poetry Society.

Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.