As early as 1924, Rilke developed a passion for the French language and began translating Paul Valéry. The following year, he took the plunge and began writing poems in French. Until then, only a few of his poems had been translated into German, his primary writing language. Christoph König’s new translation allows German-speaking readers to discover a whole new, previously unknown aspect of Rilke’s work.
Program:
-Book presentation by Christoph König, professor emeritus at the University of Osnabrück and translator
-Reading of a selection of poems in the original French and German translation
-A group discussion on the challenges of translating a French poem by Rilke, led by Fanny Audeoud, co-director of the Fondation Rilke
-Appetizer
Duration of the event: 1 hour
