# Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke

5 Hacker News commenters recommended Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 5 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended as a very succinct book of advice for young poets, and a good one on its subject.

## Why people recommend it

- Very succinct (1 comments): "I really loved Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet! Very succinct." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49909596))
- Good book on its subject (1 comments): "is a good one on the subject" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46417192))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion](https://hackerapproved.com/p/slouching-towards-bethlehem.md): 8 recommend
- [Why I Write by George Orwell](https://hackerapproved.com/p/why-i-write.md): 6 recommend
- [Paul Graham essays](https://hackerapproved.com/p/paul-graham-essays.md): 5 recommend
- [Metamagical Themas by Douglas Hofstadter](https://hackerapproved.com/p/metamagical-themas.md): 4 recommend
- [On Photography by Susan Sontag](https://hackerapproved.com/p/on-photography.md): 4 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0143107143?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780143107149) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke", https://hackerapproved.com/p/letters-to-a-young-poet/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).