Until Our Souls Are Stars

Rainer Maria Rilke and Lou Andreas-Salomé. He is 22 and a shooting star of the literary scene. She is a psychoanalyst and a successful writer in her own right. Their love affair began with a few poems sent to Lou by the young poet in 1897. Almost fifteen years his senior, she was fascinated when they first met in person and was swept away by the depth of his feelings and his poetic talent. For him, this encounter represented the fulfilment of his desires as a human being and an artist, as well as a major challenge. For both of them, their love was an overwhelming and unique experience.

Lou never lets go of her freedom, is brutally honest in her assessments of Rilke's writing, and refuses to allow him to rest on his laurels. Ultimately, this love affair, which later transformed into a lifelong friendship, became a desperate struggle to keep hold of one another, a passionate search for connection and freedom.