{"id":2360,"date":"2024-08-26T11:53:59","date_gmt":"2024-08-26T11:53:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/josephrauch.com\/therauchreview\/?p=2360"},"modified":"2025-07-31T19:17:04","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T19:17:04","slug":"notebooks-of-malte-laurids-brigge-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/josephrauch.com\/therauchreview\/reviews\/notebooks-of-malte-laurids-brigge-review\/","title":{"rendered":"A Review of \u2018The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge<\/a>\u201d by Rainer Maria Rilke is a timeless piece of art, an existentialist\u2019s must-read, and a tedious task to plow through. It forces the reader to reflect on love and loneliness, on existence and emotions, on life and death. As typical for Rilke, things become actors, actors are absent, and the absent are acting. The constricts of time and space are disassembled by a story that jumps freely between distant memory, close observation and historical imagination. It\u2019s all tied together by a style of writing that frequently makes you stumble and question both your and the writer\u2019s sanity.<\/p>\n

If that description was unclear, a little annoying, but also a tiny bit intriguing, then you should read \u201cThe Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge\u201d by Rainer Maria Rilke. This review of \u201cThe Notebooks\u201d will try to tie some of these details up a little, and help you decide whether you want to read the book.<\/p>\n

Comparing Rilke\u2019s writing to another\u2019s style would do everybody an injustice, but if you want a comparison, think of a blend of Kafka\u2019s \u201cThe Trial<\/a>\u201d and Goethe\u2019s \u201cWerther<\/a>.\u201d Suffering and death are what define Goethe\u2019s \u201cWerther,\u201d and discomfitingly close observation of reality is what makes Kafka\u2019s \u201cThe Trial\u201d shine. Combine the two, and you get an idea of Malte and his state of mind.<\/p>\n

Writing a review of \u201cThe Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge\u201d isn\u2019t an easy task, because so much is out there already. But if you don\u2019t want to dive deep into existentialist philosophy or literary science, this review might just be the right thing for you.<\/p>\n

Is \u2018The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge\u2019 Even a Novel?<\/h2>\n

While today \u201cThe Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge\u201d is described as a novel, at the time of its publication that classification wasn\u2019t so cut and dry. In the hundred years since it first appeared, the constraints of the genre have drastically changed. Today almost any long-form prose can be described and marketed as a novel. But at the beginning of the 20th century, this wasn\u2019t so. Which is probably why R. M. Rilke himself described \u201cThe Notebooks\u201d as a \u201clong form prose poetry.\u201d And still today this description is a much better fit.<\/p>\n

From a novel, most audiences would expect at least one storyline, a little character development and some action. Nothing of which you get in \u201cThe Notebooks,\u201d at least not on the surface. Of course, there’s character development, some scenes where some things happen, and technically also a story.<\/p>\n

On the surface \u201cThe Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge\u201d is not much more than a confusing collection of jottings, sketches or recordings \u2014 which, incidentally, are other ways to translate the original title, \u201cAufzeichnungen.\u201d But if you decide to read \u201cThe Notebooks,\u201d just looking at the surface won\u2019t do you any good. To quote:<\/p>\n

\u201cHere I sit in my little room, I, Brigge, twenty-eight years old now and known to no one. Here I sit, and I am nothing. […] Is it possible, it [Brigge] thinks, that we have neither seen nor perceived nor said anything real or of any importance yet? […] Yes, it is possible. […] Is it possible that despite our inventions and progress, despite our culture, religion and knowledge of the world, we have remained on the surface of life? Is it possible that even that surface, which might still have been something, has been covered with an unbelievably boring material, leaving it looking like drawing-room furniture in the summer holidays? Yes, it is possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

And if you are not willing, or concentrated enough, to engage with these questions in yourself, then reading \u201cThe Notebooks\u201d won\u2019t do you any good. It will just bore you. So if you pick up the novel, the book, the long prose poem, be ready to ask some serious questions (and do some serious historical research while reading).<\/p>\n

If, of course, you are a student of philosophy or literature, there\u2019s a good chance you don\u2019t have a choice.<\/p>\n

Malte or Rilke: Autobiography or Fiction?<\/h2>\n

\u201cThe Notebooks\u201d are completely written from the perspective of Malte Laurids Brigge. A young expatriate from Denmark, with a modestly noble background, the last of his name, living in Paris. But at times Malte\u2019s isn\u2019t the only perspective we\u2019re seeing, because big parts of the book could also be viewed as an autobiography.<\/p>\n

Several parts of the novel can be found in the personal correspondence of Rilke. One part is even a direct copy of a letter he wrote to a friend. Many of the experiences that Malte undergoes correspond directly to what Rilke experienced during his own time in Paris. The childhood stories Malte tells us are strongly inspired by Rilke\u2019s own childhood.<\/p>\n

Malte tells us lots of stories from his childhood; he also tells us stories of personalities that lived hundreds of years before even his time. So while technically, \u201cThe Notebooks\u201d are completely written in the first person, with Malte as the narrator, the perspectives change all the time. Not only, because it\u2019s unclear whether the character or the author is speaking, but also because he (Malte or Rilke) speaks of events that happened many years ago, as if they are transpiring before his eyes at this very moment.<\/p>\n

These many changes of perspective are what make \u201cThe Notebooks\u201d so hard to read at times. While they are not necessarily hard to follow, as the reader always knows they\u2019re happening, they happen suddenly. They can easily overwhelm a reader that is used to the clear and linear storytelling of most contemporary novels. But then again, \u201cThe Notebooks\u201d aren\u2019t necessarily a novel.<\/p>\n

Editorial note<\/em><\/strong>: Love a good memoir? Read our “Waiting for Snow in Havana” review<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Concentration Required and Deep Dives Encouraged: Reading Rilke is a Task<\/h2>\n

The Reason You Read: Modern Relevance<\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re reading \u201cThe Notebooks,\u201d you probably have a reason for doing so. As a student of philosophy, you are probably interested in Rilke\u2019s take on life, his existentialist view of things. As an admirer of Rilke as an author, you probably want to know how his prose differs from his poetry. As a (art-) historian you might be interested in the influence Rilke\u2019s time and contemporaries had on the book (and vise versa). But there are many more people \u201cThe Notebooks\u201d speak to: expats, city-dwellers, political people, young adults.<\/p>\n

In \u201cThe Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge\u201d Rainer Maria Rilke paints a picture of city life, of an expat\u2019s reality, of life\u2019s uncertainties that are appealing to a wide array of people. Most striking (to me) was how, in the beginning of the book, he writes about Paris at the turn of the last century, and it feels like he describes a modern city. This modern feel is a continuous element in the first half of the book: That even though he writes about struggles, worries, and realities that people had and lived over a hundred years ago, it\u2019s every bit as relevant today.<\/p>\n

Unnecessary or Just Unusual? \u2014 A Difficult Style to Translate and Read<\/h3>\n

The reason I\u2019m saying that you probably have a reason to read \u201cThe Notebooks\u201d is that while it\u2019s held in high regard with the critics of many disciplines, it doesn\u2019t have a reputation for being a light read. If you are looking to read \u201cThe Notebooks,\u201d but don\u2019t want to be overwhelmed by the task, I recommend the translation by William Needham<\/a>. But we will get into the translations a bit further down the line.<\/p>\n

For now let\u2019s look at the writing in the original:<\/p>\n

When I read \u201cThe Notebooks,\u201d I stumbled over words, sentences and linguistic constructions all the time. Even though, interestingly, it wasn\u2019t an old-fashioned style of writing that confused me. Many times, old classics are written with their respective contemporary linguistic fashions and that makes them feel unhandy or complicated today even though they weren\u2019t written that way. With \u201cThe Notebooks\u201d I get the feeling that the impression on the reader didn\u2019t change much in the hundred years since its publication.<\/p>\n

I would like to think that a reader of Rilke’s time stumbled over the same constructions and oddities I struggle with today. Some of these are alleviated in the English translations, an example is already the first sentence:<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, also hierher kommen die Leute, um zu leben, ich w\u00fcrde eher meinen, es st\u00fcrbe sich hier.\u201d<\/p>\n

Translation (Robert Vilain, Oxford World Classics)<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, this is where people come to live. It seems to though, that it\u2019s dying that happens here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Second Translation (Michael Hulse, Penguin Classics)<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cThis, then, is where people come to live, I\u2019d have thought it more of a place to die.\u201d<\/p>\n

What the two translators struggle with here, is the same thing a German reader would stumble over in the original: \u201cst\u00fcrbe<\/i>,\u201d a conjunctive of \u201csterben<\/i>\u201d (engl.: to die), and an extremely unusual one. (The form and construction that Rilke choses here would have been unusual even at his time.) The last part of the first sentence doesn\u2019t refer to people, it refers to the action of dying. Which the first translation captures, but that version leaves out the personal observation in the part before. While the second translation captures that, it makes concessions on the dying. Both translations are as accurate as it gets, but it\u2019s simply impossible to translate this particularly strange expression. And this is just one example, of how the writing in \u201cThe Notebooks\u201d is at best strange sometimes, and almost incomprehensible at others.<\/p>\n

The storyline is, similar to the style of writing, hard to follow at times. Rilke regularly uses words like \u201csuddenly\u201d or \u201cabruptly\u201d and instead of something actually happening \u201cin the blink of an eye,\u201d he goes off into the far past of the character. There are virtually no time constraints to the narrative. At one point it\u2019s set in the present day, then jumps back into childhood and then travels even further back into the mind of a historical figure. To say that there\u2019d be a plot, would be an overstatement. It\u2019s more \u2014 as the title suggests \u2014 a collection of thoughts.<\/p>\n

No Fluff After All \u2014 Even Though It Might Seem So<\/h3>\n

There\u2019s a certain tendency to avoid criticizing classics. If you are Tolstoy, it doesn\u2019t matter if you could have cut down \u201cWar and Peace\u201d to fit neatly on three hundred pages. You\u2019ve written a monumental epos, and it\u2019s perfect as is. Well, I think Rilke could have certainly improved the overall experience for the reader, and I think he would have, if the aim had been to write a novel.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Notebooks\u201d are full of diversions from the story and references that could seem unnecessary to the average reader. So while sometimes the reading feels like wading through honey, and each line becomes a struggle, they aren\u2019t unnecessary fluff after all. Because, if you take the time to research, you will get an even deeper understanding of what\u2019s being said.<\/p>\n

Malte Growing and Maturing as a Person and Writer While Working on ‘The Notebooks’<\/h2>\n

Malte matures in the course of the book, both as a person and as a writer. Two processes are linked and build the narrative. In the beginning of the book his writings are the sketches or jottings of an overwhelmed young adult from the Danish countryside who just arrived in the bustling city. He isn\u2019t really certain what to make of his surroundings and of himself, so his solution is to sit down and write. Malte does what Rilke would recommend to any young writer (and does in the \u201cLetters to a young poet\u201d): Note what you observe.<\/p>\n

As he (Malte) does so, he notes his inner commotion and associations from his childhood and teenage years. In the process of articulating these feelings and memories, his style of writing changes. It becomes more intricate and bold. While toward the end of the book the plot lines get thinner, and the reader gets increasingly little information of the events unfolding around Malte, we can see how Malte matures as a person. Maybe he isn\u2019t so overwhelmed anymore. Maybe he becomes settled? Maybe that is why he doesn\u2019t have the need anymore to observe small details of the life around him.<\/p>\n

And when he does, the change becomes obvious. There\u2019s a scene toward the end of the book where he, after long passages of reflection on his childhood, goes back to observing the street-life of Paris. Here we can see how his view of the world has changed and matured.<\/p>\n

The fact that we get so many insights into Malte\u2019s early life, also creates the impression that the character is evolving. Even though the character stays the same at the time of writing, we as readers get a fuller view of his personality through the lens of his childhood.<\/p>\n

The Character is the Story<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s hard to say much about the story of \u201cThe Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge,\u201d because it mostly focuses on the development of Malte as a character and a writer. Summed up the story of \u201cThe Notebooks\u201d is:<\/p>\n

We join Malte as he already lives in Paris. He\u2019s a young man from an insignificant noble family from Denmark. We find out that he\u2019s also the last of his lineage. The first half of the book we follow Malte as he strolls through Paris, observes the chaos of the big city, and describes freakish incidents. It\u2019s the travel report of a young man and aspiring writer from the country that moves into the big city. A story that could be told today just as well.<\/p>\n

The end of the first half is marked by a letter Malte writes to a friend at home, in fact a letter that Rilke wrote as it\u2019s printed to his benefactor, the princess of Thurn und Taxis. In this letter, Malte (Rilke) describes how he feels that there\u2019s no point in trying to convey his experiences to his friends at home, because he\u2019s become an entirely different person during his travels. The recipient of the letter would therefore not understand what he\u2019s going through, because they don\u2019t know the person who\u2019s writing anymore.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat’s the use of telling someone that I am changing? If I’m changing, I am no longer who I was; and if I am something else, it’s obvious that I have no acquaintances. And I can’t possibly write to strangers.\u201d<\/p>\n

After this letter, the storytelling changes. It shifts from Malte\u2019s experiences in Paris to a further removed perspective. From this point on, we mostly get the perspective of historical figures and their experiences. To understand these references, even very historically savvy readers will need to do a lot of research to keep up with the story. This part was written by Rilke several years after the creation of the first part. It all comes to a close with Rilke\u2019s re-interpretation of the biblical parable of the prodigal son, which does a great job at tying together all the loose ends of Malte\u2019s character development and gives a concrete point of contact for trying to interpret the meaning of the book.<\/p>\n

Rilke\u2019s Very Personal Style is Exemplified in \u2018The Notebooks\u2019<\/h2>\n

Rilke is a poet. And while also Goethe was a poet, he still managed to write what is often referred to as the first novel (\u201cWerther\u201d) in pretty clear and digestible language. Rilke doesn\u2019t. Rather, he doesn\u2019t try.<\/p>\n

Both the Penguin Classics and the Oxford World\u2019s Classics editions give a very good account of Rilke\u2019s very own style. Rilke is famous for his unique style. While his early poems \u201conly\u201d show his mastery of the craft, during his time in Paris, he gets acquainted with a whole new way of perceiving the world. He was working with the french sculptor, Ronin who, Rilke said, taught him to \u201cactually see things.\u201d There\u2019s a famous passage in \u201cThe Notebooks\u201d where Malte observes the side of a house and notices there used to be another building standing there. The remnants of the room partitions are still visible, the chimneys and the toilets have left behind traces. This passage is a perfect example of this very unique style of Rilke\u2019s where things are not inanimate. They are actors, have feelings and react to him.<\/p>\n

These passages are very enjoyable to read and have a high re-reading value. While later passages in the book might be considered less interesting (for a modern reader), these early parts, the observations and implications of seemingly mundane occurrences, are highly valuable to modern readers as they convey feelings and states of mind that are inherent in the human condition.<\/p>\n

A Philosophical Poet Like of the First Hour<\/h2>\n

Discussing, no, even skimming the topics of Rilke\u2019s philosophy, cultural impact or contribution to both (modern) poetry and thought, goes beyond the scope of this review (and honestly far beyond my intellectual capabilities). Nonetheless, maybe I can gloss over some of these shortcomings by exercising some proven strategies of my field, namely: Summarium ad absurdum <\/i> (Summarize to the point of absurdity) and name-dropping. <\/i><\/p>\n

While political standpoints are not clearly visible in \u201cThe Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge,\u201d philosophy is very much so. Main topics that are discussed in depth are:<\/p>\n