Letters to a Very Young Painter

"As for you, my dear Balthus, you surely know full well the love that connects us. Yours with all my heart, Rilke."

Never before translated into English, Rainer Maria Rilke's fascinating Letters to a Young Painter, written between 1920 and 1926 toward the end of his life, is a surprising companion to his infamous Letters to a Young Poet, earlier correspondence from 1902 to 1908.

While the latter has become a global phenomenon, with millions of copies sold in many different languages, the present volume has been largely overlooked.

In these eight intimate letters written to a teenage Balthus-who would go on to become one of the leading artists of his generation-Rilke describes the challenges he faced, while opening the door for the young painter to take himself and his work seriously.