Baer, Ulrich: - Ulrich Baer is a graduate of Harvard and Yale and has been awarded Guggenheim, Getty, and von Humboldt fellowships. He is University Professor at New York University and has translated Rilke's Letters on Life and The Dark Interval and edited other books by and about Rilke. He has also translated works by Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Buber, and Sigmund Freud.

Rilke, Rainer Maria: - Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926), born in Prague into a German-speaking family, is widely recognized as one of the world's great poets. While based in Paris, he traveled broadly until finally settling in Switzerland. Rilke's writings have deeply influenced countless readers, including major writers, the world over. His Duino Elegies and Sonnets to Orpheus count among the great achievements in world literature.