Rainer Maria Rilke (German: Rainer Maria Rilke; full name: René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke—René Карл Вільгельм Йоганн Йозеф Марія Рільке; born December 4, 1875, Prague—died December 29, 1926, Valmont, Switzerland) is one of the most influential modernist poets of the 20th century. He was born in Prague, had Austrian citizenship, and wrote in German. He was one of the admirers of Søren Kierkegaard. He was influenced by existentialist philosophy. He lived and worked in Trieste, Paris, and Switzerland, and also wrote prose.