The Poetry Detective

Poet Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's poetry archive to mark 150 years since the birth of Rainer Maria Rilke.

He selects The Poetry Detective - a series where Vanessa Kisuule speaks to people about poems that offer invitations and make demands.

A poem by Rainer Maria Rilke has always meant a huge amount to the poet Richard Scott - with the stunning last line 'you must change your life'.

We speak to Rachel Corbett, author of 'You Must Change Your Life: The Story of Rainer Maria Rilke and Auguste Rodin' about the encounter between poet and sculptor and the huge impact it had on Rilke.

And Dr Altaf Saadi tells us about a Lucille Clifton poem she has carried in her pocket for many years and that has given her strength as a woman of Iranian-Iraqi heritage who came to the US a month before 9/11. A poem that Tara Betts also carries with her - as a tattoo covering her left arm.

Produced in Bristol by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2021.