Duino Elegies and The Sonnets to Orpheus

Rilke's struggle with severe depression throughout the 1910s hindered his writing, particularly affecting his work on the Duino Elegies, which he began in 1912. The psychological crisis stemming from World War I and his brief military service further silenced him. It wasn't until 1920 that he found the motivation to resume his focus on the Elegies, yet his unstable lifestyle over the next two years continued to impede his ability to write effectively.