Poetry after Rilke, Southbank Centre

Four contemporary poets -- Don Paterson, Patrick McGuinness, Sujata Bhatt and Durs Grünbein -- reflect upon the rich canon of Rainer Maria Rilke

As part of the Poetry International Festival , the Southbank Centre invites four of the most prestigious contemporary poets to demonstrate their own responses to the poetry of Rilke. Pertinently the event also marks the centenary of the English translation of the German verse.

The Significance of Rilke...

The poets will read from Rilke's verse and present their own translations, re-writings and newly commissioned work. This promises to be an enlightening literary salon, both in terms of the literary legacy and the way in which poetry can transcend nationality and native tongue. 

Credited as the poet who was able to 'perfect the German poem for the first time', Rilke's intensely lyrical and mystical verse has shaped the literary canon thereafter; W.H Auden cites him as a major influence and the five poet speakers will discuss their creative debt to his diction, imagery and philosophy.

It will be fascinating to see how such a talented and diverse group of poets have been influenced by the same figure.

The Contemporary Poets...

Scottish poet Don Paterson has been awarded countless accolades for his work, including the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry, an OBE and two T.S Eliot Prizes. Paterson also lectures on poetry at the University of St Andrews. Commonwealth Poetry Prize winner Sujata Bhat combines her native Gujurati with English to write in her own unique Indian-English diction. As well as a distinctive poet, Baht is a distinguished translator from German to English. Professor Patrick McGuinness teaches French and Comparative Literature at Oxford University, as well as publishing poems, a novel and translations. Durs Grünbein is widely seen as Germany's most successful poet. He has won numerous awards, and, through translations of his poems, risen to international acclaim. Karen Leeder, Professor of Modern German Literature at Oxford University, will chair the reading.