The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 20:49, 16 August 2022
The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge (in German: Die Aufzeichnungen des Malte Laurids Brigge), published in 1910, was Rainer Maria Rilke's only book-sized work of prose. It is often classified as a novel, but that is questioned frequently. The narrative takes the form of a rambling novelette filled with poetic language and contains, among other things, a retelling of the prodigal son tale, a striking description of death by illness, an ode to the joys of roaming free during childhood, a chilling description of how people wear false faces with others, and a snarky comment about the weirdness of neighbors.
The book was first published as hardcover in German by Insel Verlag in 1910 and consisted of two volumes of 191 and 186 pages, respectively. It was first issued in English under the title Journal of My Other Self.[1]
English translations
It is considered very challenging to render German lyrical poetry and prose into English because it relies so strongly on alliterative and rhythmic nuances of the German language itself. Thus, Rilke's works have all been translated multiple times, and the Notebooks are no exception. English translations include:
- John Linton (Norton, 1930; Hogarth Press, 1930). Originally published under the title The Journal of My Other Self.
- Mary D. Herter Norton (Norton, 1949)
- Stephen Mitchell (Random House, 1982)
- Burton Pike (Dalkey Archive, 2008)
- Michael Hulse (Penguin, 2009)
- Robert Vilain (Oxford, 2016)
References
- ↑ M. D. Herter Norton (tr.). New York: W. W. Norton, 1949, 1992. Translator's Foreword, p. 8.