Rare Rilke Prose
Review of the Estonian language translation of the German language original "Zwei Prager Geschichten" (Two Prague Stories) (1899)

One of the greatest of German poets, Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926) left his hometown of Prague at the age of 20 and wrote two Prague-themed short stories a few years later in order to bring "a half-forgotten memory back again." The stories reflect the mood of the Czech intellectual community in Prague in the mid-1890s, their contradictions and relations with the local Germans. An important character in the stories is the city of Prague itself, its bridges, streets, cafes, lounges, courtyards, basements and cemeteries, the humid coolness of an early spring evening and empty nights with howling winds.
"Two Prague Stories," published by Loomingu Raamatukogu, is an imaginary sequel to Rilke's selection of early prose "Armastusest" (About Love) (LR 2007, No. 23–24, translated by Tiiu Relve). - translation of the Estonian language synopsis

Two Prague Stories contains the tales King Bohush and The Siblings. Bohush is the name of a forlorn and hapless hunchback who intermingles with the Czech nationalist underground in the Austro-Hungarian ruled city of Prague and meets a sad fate. The Siblings are sister Luisa and brother Zdenko, living in Prague with their mother and a housekeeper after their father's passing. The tie-in between the stories is a reckless nationalist university student named Rezek. While the end of the first story is shocking and depressing, the finale of the second is uplifting and is somewhat of a metaphor for Rilke's sympathies with Czech nationalism. I didn't get any sense of the mysticism and modernism of Rilke's later poetry. The stories paint a portrait in time of the city and its future nation's aspirations.

Publisher 'Loomingu Raamatukogu's usual care in presentation was superbly done with copious footnotes to explain all of the Prague/Czech references and an extensive afterword by translator Tiiu Relve.

Trivia and Links
The Loomingu Raamatukogu (The Creation Library) is a modestly priced Estonian literary journal which initially published weekly (from 1957 to 1994) and which now publishes 40 issues a year as of 1995. It is a great source for discovery as its relatively cheap prices (currently 3 to 5€ per issue) allow for access to a multitude of international writers in Estonian translation and of shorter works by Estonian authors themselves. These include poetry, theatre, essays, short stories, novellas and novels (the lengthier works are usually parcelled out over several issues).

For a complete listing of all works issued to date by Loomingu Raamatukogu see Estonian Wikipedia at: https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loomingu_Raamatukogus_ilmunud_teoste_loend_aastak%... ( )