Abstract

Together with the Bible and the writings of Jens Peter Jacobsen, St Augustine's "Confessions" can be numbered among those books that Rilke cannot do without. They are certainly the focus of the poet's attention in the years following the publication of the "Aufzeichnungen des Malte Laurids Brigge". Although his acquaintance with the "Confessions" dates back to his early youth, as his letters reveal, 1911 proves to be a crucial year for Rilke's reading of St Augustine. The essay focuses on Rilke as a reader of the "Confessions" in the "Aufzeichnungen des Malte Laurids Brigge" and explores the poet's personal quest for God within the context of his correspondence and his poetry.