You Must Change Your Life: The Story of Rainer Maria Rilke and Auguste Rodin by Rachel Corbett: book review

You Must Change Your Life: The Story of Rainer Maria Rilke and Auguste Rodin (2016) is about German poet Rainer Maria Rilke, who went to Paris in 1902, at the age of 26, to write a book about the sculptor Auguste Rodin (who sculpted The Thinker and The Kiss).

When they met, young Rilke (1875-1926) was a loner and a poor, unknown poet, whereas Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), in his 60s, was revered, outgoing, and famous. The two polar opposites in status and personalities developed a deep friendship.

Rodin was a master at rendering the human form. At art school, he passed drawing, but failed sculpting, due to his ‘disproportionate, heavy-limbed figures’ (for which he would later become famous). The author details Rodin’s rise to fame – his models, his power of observation, how he highlights flaws in the human body, and his acceptance as an artist.

Rainer Maria Rilke arrived in Paris after the 1900 Paris World Fair during the influx of artists – local and international – Paul Cezanne,Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Vincent Van Gogh, and Amedeo Modigliani. Poor, and eating oatmeal every night, he wrote to Rodin in the hope of documenting the artist’s compulsive devotion to his craft. Corbett also writes of the young aspiring poet, Franz Xaver Kappus, who sought advice and inspiration from Rilke, just as he did from Rodin.

Rilke and Rodin – their friendship, their rupture, the reversal and renewal, their marriages, and then Rilke ‘no longer a sapling cowering beneath the shade of Rodin.’ World War I followed, and both left Paris, but by then Rodin’s ideas about art and creativity had already influenced Rilke’s work.

This is interesting account of two artistic men in Paris over a period of 15 years, and their interconnectedness, personally and professionally. It’s an enjoyable read.

MARTINA NICOLLSis an international aid and development consultant, and the authorof:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom(2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

Comments

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. ...

The acacia thorn trees of Kenya

There are nearly 800 species of acacia trees in the world, and most don’t have thorns. The famous "whistling thorn tree" and the Umbrella Thorn tree of Kenya are species of acacia that do have thorns, or spines. Giraffes and other herbivores normally eat thorny acacia foliage, but leave the whistling thorn alone. Usually spines are no deterrent to giraffes. Their long tongues are adapted to strip the leaves from the branches despite the thorns. The thorny acacia like dry and hot conditions. The thorns typically occur in pairs and are 5-8 centimetres (2-3 inches) long. Spines can be straight or curved depending on the species. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Suda...

Shindi: the Georgian Cornelian cherry

The Cornelian cherry – shindi in Georgian – is a fruit with medicinal and decorative properties. It was grown from ancient times, according to the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS). It is also commonly called the European cornel. It is native to southern Europe from France to Ukraine as well as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, and Syria. The Cornelian cherry tree ( Cornus mas ) can be grown in orchards, but it is often seen in the forests of Georgia where it grows up to 1,350 metres above sea level. It is a medium to large deciduous tree, growing from 5-12 metres tall. The flowers are small with four yellow petals in clusters, which flower in February and March. The Cornus mas has three botanical varieties: (1) var. typica Sanadze with cylindrical red fruits, (2) var. pyriformis Sanadze with pear-shaped red fruits, and (3) var. flava vest with yellow fruits. The fruits are oblong red drupes about 2 centimetres ...

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog