A magnificent portrait of the world-famous poet. Who was Rainer Maria Rilke? Contemporaries praised and mocked him; after Goethe, he is the most-read German-speaking poet worldwide. Raised as a girl in his early years and later subjected to his mother's pious bigotry, Rilke developed a highly ambivalent view of the female gender. He, the restless one, owes lifelong encouragement and support to women; in turn, they owe him the most beautiful poems and dedications. Fritz J. Raddatz describes Rilke in a furious and also moving way. He vividly portrays the influence of emotional sources on the poet's work.