The Useless Critic 2.0

Rilke kept silence as a poet for twelve years before writing Duino Elegies and Sonnets to Orpheus, which are concerned with 'the identity of terror and bliss' and 'the oneness of life and death'. Duino Elegies was born in two bursts of inspiration separated by ten years. In 1910-1912 Rilke was for some time the guest of Princess Marie von Thurn und Taxis-Hohenlohe at Duino, her castle near Trieste. According to a story, Rilke heard in the wind the first lines of his elegies when he was walking on the rocks above the sea - "Who, if I cried out, would hear me among the angels' / hierarchies?" In 1913 Rilke returned to Paris but he was forced to return to Germany because of the First World War. Duino Castle was bombarded to ruins and Rilke's personal property was confiscated in France. He served in the Austrian army and found another patron, Werner Reinhart, who owned the Castle Muzot at Valais. After 1919 he lived in Switzerland, where he died on Decembe...

I know, I know, I know. I don't know. also, Lady Gaga has Rainer Maria Rilke quotes tattooed on her. says he is her "favorite philosopher." what an enigma she is.

well last night, shortly before midnight, I drew The Time Traveler's Wife to a close. wow- I have to say, that book annihilated my expectations. that's to say I was being kind of an elitist and like oh ho this book is adored by the masses TOO SACCHARINE FOR MY TASTES right? noooooo. now I see why it was/is so popular! it was an incredibly well-written book. Audrey Niffenegger? I now safely have faith in her as a writer. books like that are impressive, though, and seem to come about (for me at least) once in a blue moon. green moon. some kind of moon! the type of book you fear putting down and have to carry around you everywhere, even in the car where the motion makes you sick. and then I have thoughts, in between reading: WHOA, THAT OLDER LADY IN THE PARKING LOT HAD GLASSES, BROWN HAIR AND WAS GIVING ME THE EYE. MAYBE SHE'S ME FROM THE FUTURE? :o you know you've had those thoughts! okay....maybe you haven't. but yeah, an analogy occurred to me when I was getting to...