 In 1910 , Rilke had completed writing the loosely autobiographical novel , Die <unk> des Malte <unk> <unk> ( The Notebooks of Malte <unk> <unk> ) in which a young poet is terrified by the fragmentation and chaos of modern urban life . After completing the work , Rilke experienced a severe psychological crisis that lasted for two years . In 1912 , still facing this severe depression and despair , Rilke was invited to Duino Castle by Princess Marie von Thurn und Taxis ( 1855 – 1934 ) ( born Princess Marie zu Hohenlohe @-@ Waldenburg @-@ <unk> ) whom he had met a few years before . The princess ( who was twenty years older than Rilke ) and her husband Prince Alexander ( 1851 – 1939 ) enthusiastically supported artists and writers . 
