Introduction:

How should one be a mentor to someone else? How should one make mentoring happen? Which is the correct path to take? We can learn about mentoring in everyday life, in structured programs, and, since its origins, in literary classics. In this essay, taking as a starting point Letters to a Young Poet, by Rainer Maria Rilke, I sought to identify and present elements that can further our understanding of what it means to be a mentor and to make mentoring happen.

Development:

The letters exchanged between the experienced poet and the beginner show the importance of generosity and humility as a mentor’s attributes. Even if through letters, the relationship is established on three vertices of mentoring that promote development: support, reflection, and vision.

Conclusion:

In the classic narratives, modern mentors can find new inspiration for their practice. Rilke and the young Kappus, as Mentor and Telemachus, walk together and tell us a story that is worth reading and rereading.

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