45 pages • 1 hour read
237
Novel/Book in Verse • Fiction
Paris, France • 1900s
1910
Adult
18+ years
The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge follows Malte Laurids Brigge, a young Danish man living in Paris who documents his observations and reflections on life's sufferings in a series of 71 notebook entries. He dwells on his impoverished existence, childhood illnesses, fragmented family memories, encounters with the supernatural, and philosophical musings about life and death, all while grappling with existential despair and a search for meaning. Themes of death, illness, and familial dysfunction are present.
Contemplative
Mysterious
Melancholic
The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge by Rainer Maria Rilke is praised for its poetic language and profound introspection but critiqued for its fragmented narrative and challenging structure. Readers admire its exploration of existential themes and vivid imagery, though some find it difficult to engage with due to its non-linear storyline and dense prose.
A reader who appreciates introspective and existential literature would enjoy The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge by Rainer Maria Rilke. Fans of Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time and Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis will be captivated by Rilke’s poetic prose, philosophical ruminations, and exploration of memory and identity.
237
Novel/Book in Verse • Fiction
Paris, France • 1900s
1910
Adult
18+ years
Continue your reading experience
Subscribe now to unlock the rest of this Study Guide plus our full library, which features expert-written summaries and analyses of 8,000+ additional titles.