A landmark in the development of the twentieth-century novel, the Notebooks is the story of a young Danish aristocrat , told in a series of notes that explore Malte's life in Paris, childhood memories and reflections in highly crafted poetic prose. A radical departure from literary realism, it is an archetypal confrontation with the modern. "Notebooks" was an absorbing read, with the often beautiful and evocative prose making the effort worthwhile, and I'm keen now to read some of Rilke's poetry.