The enduring power of Rainer Maria Rilke's poetry rests with his claim that all we need for a better life on earth is already given to us, in the here and now. In twenty-six engaging and accessible essays, Ulrich Baer's The Rilke Alphabet examines this promise by one of the greatest poets in any tradition that even the smallest overlooked word may unlock life's mysteries to us. Fueled by an unebbing passion andindeed love for Rilke's poetry, Baer examines twenty-six words that are not only unexpected but also problematic, controversial, and even scandalous in Rilke's work. In twenty-six mesme.Abstract: The significance of Rainer Maria Rilke's work rests with the poet's insistence that everything needed for a better life on earth is already given to us, in the here and now. This book examines boththe lesser-known and the overlooked and controversial aspects of Rilke's poetry and life.