KKÖ Theme Days: Rainer Maria Rilke

Why Rilke Is a Classic **Thursday, July 9, 2026, 7:00 p.m. Augustiner Stift Stammhaus, 2nd floor (not wheelchair accessible) Speaker: Prof. Dr. Dieter Lamping** **Free admission** According to Horace, it takes a hundred years to know whether a work has outlasted the era of its creation and become a classic. That time has now come for Rilke. The question of whether he now ranks among the classics is not easy to answer, because he was never entirely uncontroversial. He had—and still has—as ardent admirers as he does sharp critics. Some of his works, however, still find their audience, while others are highly regarded by experts. Here, a distinction must be made between the specific preferences of his readers—which were not always his own—and the works that hold historical significance within German literature—and beyond. Those of his works that can be considered classics are not his most popular, but they most clearly reveal the uniqueness and artistry of this unconventional, solitary poet. (Graphic: Rainer Maria Rilke Simone Frieling)