Rilke, Rainer Maria (1875-1926) | Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Rainer Maria Rilke (formerly Rene Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke) was born on Decemmber 4, 1875 in Prague, Austria-Hungary. A member of the upper-middle class, Rilke spent time at military schools in Moravia and Austria from 1886-1891. He published his first poetry collection, Leben und Lieder, in 1895.

Rilke left Prague for Munich in 1896, intending to study art and take advantage of the city's cultural and publishing opportunities. This move was the first of many journeys that took Rilke around Europe and to North Africa and Asia; many of the places he visited, including Italy, Russia, Sweden, and Paris, had a profound influence on his work.

Rilke married Clara Westhoff, a sculptor, in 1901; they had one daughter. Rilke met Auguste Rodin in 1902 after traveling to Paris to write a book about the sculptor; he then worked as Rodin's secretary from September 1905 to May 1906. He met Countess Luise von Schwerin at a sanatorium near Dresden in 1905 and became acquainted with Karl von der Heydt when both men were guests at Schwerin's home near Giessen, Germany.

Rilke was drafted into the Austrian army in December 1915. After a few weeks of basic training, the help of several powerful friends enabled his transfer to the War Archive. Rilke died in Switzerland on December 29, 1926.