Departures from Rilke

Steven Cramer's newest book of poems, Departures from Rilke, derives from his favorites among Rainer Maria Rilke's two volumes of New Poems (1907/08). Cramer repurposes, updates, and sometimes upends the subject matter and style of the originals, often leaving Rilke's premises almost altogether. A practice dating back to Thomas Wyatt's imports of Petrarch and including Robert Lowell's Imitations (1961), Cramer's approach makes for an original poetry of personal and contemporary resonance, while remaining alert to Rilke's chastening presence.