Books › Duineser Elegien
Duineser Elegien
355 pages
A deeply tactile and reverent encounter with German elegiac poetry, meant to be savored slowly across dual-language pages.
What it feels like
To read this volume is to engage in a deeply tactile and reverent literary experience. The pace is inherently leisurely, inviting the reader to linger over the facing pages of English and German text, absorbing the elegiac poetry in both languages. The mood is solemn and contemplative, heavily influenced by the physical presence of the book itself—the texture of handmade paper, the visual weight of wood-cut initials, and the formal elegance of vellum and gilt. It feels less like a simple reading copy and more like an artifact of poetic devotion. This is a collection that delights bibliophiles and poetry purists alike, offering a quiet, reflective space where the artistry of translation meets the meticulous craft of fine bookmaking.
- Mood
- solemn
- tactile
- reflective
- Tone
- reverent
- formal
- elegiac
- contemplative
- Pace
- leisurely
- Themes
- elegiac reflection · poetic translation · bilingual reading · the artistry of bookmaking
- The writing
- Lyrical and elegiac poetry presented with English and German texts facing each other across the spread.
- The arc
- The reader moves through a quiet, reverent space of poetic contemplation, guided by the rhythm of dual-language elegies.
- Who it's for
- Collectors of fine press books and readers who savor the tactile experience of reading translated German poetry.
About the book
"Buff paper boards; vellum spine and corners; lettered in gilt... Parchment paper dust jacket, unlettered. Issued in an unprinted grey paper slipcase." -- Woolmer.
"Count Harry Kessler planned the format of this volume. Eric Gill designed and himself cut on wood the initials."
"The whole edition consists of two hundred and thirty numbered copies for sale on handmade Maillol-Kessler paper..., and signed by the translators; and eight numbered copies on vellum for sale with hand-gilded initials, signed by the translators."
Woolmer, 1986 ed., 268.
Gift to Victoria University Library. Jackman, Mary Rowell.
English and German on opposite pages.
Victoria University LIbrary copy has buff paper boards, vellum spine and corners, lettered in gilt; lacks signatures of translators, dust jacket and slipcase; stamped "out of series"; with photograph of Rilke attached to front endpaper.
Description from Open Library.
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