In 1952, celan s writing began to gain recognition when he read his poetry on his first reading trip to germany where he was invited to read at the. His mother and father died in nazi death camps and celan was a concentration camp prisoner himself for eighteen months before escaping to join the red army. His style is characterised by unconventional imagery and unique metaphor and this is where his originality lies. Paul celan writing in the language of the enemy sfgate. He became one of the major germanlanguage poets of the postworld war ii era. Paul celan 19201970 was one of the most eminent european poets of the second half of the twentieth century. Its an uneven collection, still marked by experimentation, but theres genuine.
Czernowitz, in the then kingdom of romania now chernivtsi, ukraine, and adopted the pseudonym paul celan. The peerless translations of this haunted and haunting holocaust poet, including ten new poems and an illuminating essay by the translator. Paul celan is one the twentieth centurys most essential poets, and twentytwo years after its publication, poems of paul celan continues to be the single truest access for englishspeakers to this poets work. Celan spent his last years alone, bereft of family and friends, and sinking further into depression.
What celan as, in fact many other contemporary poets will do to help the reader now that each poem, or the poems of a given sequence or book are sui generis, i. Of all celans poems, the todesfuge has been the most discussed, anthologized, and translated. From the nuts we shell time and we teach it to walk. Selected poems celan paul one of the major twentiethcentury european poets, paul celan wrote poetry of exceptional linguistic brilliance and intensity drawn from his experiences, particularly of the war years and the loss of his parents in the death camps. Paul celan is among the most important germanlanguage poets of the century, and, in george steiners words, almost certainly the major european poet of the period after 1945. Nov 01, 2002 the peerless translations of this haunted and haunting holocaust poet, including ten new poems and an illuminating essay by the translator. Paul celan page a new paul celan bilingual english and german web page. Todesfuge translated into english as death fugue1 and fugue of death2 is a german language poem written by the romanianborn poet paul celan probably around 1945.
Nov 28, 2002 the peerless translations of this haunted and haunting holocaust poet, including ten new poems and an illuminating essay by the translator. In 1938 celan went to paris to study medicine, but returned to romania before the outbreak of world war ii. An introduction to paul celan iowa research online. Paul celan poems and poetry famous poets and poems. In 1938 celan went to paris to study medicine, but returned to romania before. The son of germanspeaking jews, celan grew up speaking several languages, including. Celan uses this same device also in several other compositions of atemwende gesammelte werke, 1. Jan 08, 2015 todesfuge translated into english as death fugue1 and fugue of death2 is a german language poem written by the romanianborn poet paul celan probably around 1945 and first published in 1948.
Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this poems of paul celan study guide and get instant access to the following analysis. Penguin book group, london 1988 celan, paul translated by joris, pierre 2005. Celan, paul pseudonym of paul antschel 19201970 born in rumania of hasidic jewish heritage, celan is generally regarded as the finest lyric poet to write in german since rilke. These are modern english translations of holocaust poems written in german by paul celan, the pen name of paul antschel 19201970. Celan was recognized early on as the creator of an original poetry and poetics in which words verge upon silence. Black milk of daybreak we drink it at sundown we drink it at noon in the morning we drink it at night. But its misleading, in celans case, to speak of love poetry as though this were an isolable subject or genre among others nature poetry, political poetry, religious poetry, etc. Theres nothing in the world for which a poet will give up writing, paul celan once remarked, not even when he is a jew and the language of his. His home town was occupied by russian troops in 1940 and by the germans in 1942. Please note david youngs recent translations of paul celan can be found in poetry international 14. Its an uneven collection, still marked by experimentation, but theres genuine talent here and moments of impressive success. Paul celan poetry collection from famous poets and poems. He was born in 1920 into a jewish family in bukovina, a german enclave in romania which was destroyed by the nazis. This paper is an attempt to explore the relation between poetry and survival taking as a point of focus the poetry of the postwar european poet paul celan.
Trauma and its traces in the poetry of paul celan spring. Perhaps it will succeed, as the strange, i mean the abyss and the medusas head, the abyss and the automatons. Paul celan poems sand out of the urns the home of forgetting grows green as mold. Poetics of silence in the postholocaust poetry of paul celan.
Paul celan s poetry is a beacon, from this point of view. Paul celan quotes author of poems of paul celan page 2. Aug 25, 2016 paul celan 19201970 was one of the most eminent european poets of the second half of the twentieth century. During the war celan worked in a forced labor camp for 18 months. The classic translation, poems of paul celan is revised and expanded, featuring new poems and an essay by the translator. Celan was born in romania to germanspeaking jewish parents. In 1952, celans writing began to gain recognition when he read his poetry on his first reading trip to germany where he was invited to read at the. Paul celan celan, paul pseudonym of paul antschel vol. Both his parents were deported to an extermination camp, andcelanhimsel f was sent to a labour camp.
Paul celan and the meaning of language an interview with. Apr 01, 2001 theres nothing in the world for which a poet will give up writing, paul celan once remarked, not even when he is a jew and the language of his poems is german. Paul celan poems famous poets and poems read and enjoy poetry. His surname was later spelled ancel, and he eventually adopted the anagram celan as his pen name. Before uneasy gates, your player, beheaded, goes blue. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. Black milk of daybreak we drink it at sundown we drink it at noon in the morning we drink it at night we drink it and drink it we dig a grave in the breezes there one lies unconfined a man lives in the house he plays with the serpents.
Romanian poems is a small but exciting collection, some of celan s experimentation already hinting at what was to come, while also suggesting what else he might have been capable of. He was born as paul antschel into a jewish family in romania, and changed his name to paul celan where celan in romanian would be pronounced chelan, and was derived from ancel. But my paper aims at not merely locating celan as a germanlanguage poet of the postsecond world war period, but also as a jew, and a survivor of the holocaust the nazi genocidal machinery which claimed millions of lives during the second world war 19391945. Twentysix poems by paul celan translated from the german. He wrote his final poems in this statemany of them difficult to understand, but also quite beautiful. In the mirror its sunday, in dream there is room for sleeping. His poetry was influenced stylistically by french surrealism, and its subject matter by his grief as a jew. Paul celan quotes author of poems of paul celan page 2 of 3. Poems, 1980 bilingual edition, selected, translated, and introduced by michael hamburger gedichte 19381944, ii, 1985 last poems, 1986 includes force of light, snowpart and farmstead of time, translated by katharine washburn and margret guillemin. Mar 31, 2007 paul celan is among the most important germanlanguage poets of the century, and, in george steiners words, almost certainly the major european poet of the period after 1945. Paul celan was a german language poet and translator.
It is the foremost englishlanguage edition of the great poet. In the end, celan died by his own hand, drowning himself in the seine river, just outside of. Celans own reading of the poem, preserved on record, emphasized its relentless rhythm, an effect achieved by repetition, alliteration, and a dancelike beat that reinforces the grotesque musical imagery of a poem originally published in romanian. Translating paul celan poetry international online. Paul celan was a poet and translator born in the east european province of bukovina. Project muse poetics of silence in the postholocaust. At find thousands of poems categorized into thousands of categories. In the end, celan died by his own hand, drowning himself in the seine river, just outside of his paris apartment in april 1970. Michael dirdas, washington post book world the book is at once a biography of celan, a study of his poems, and an account of the authors struggle with translation.
The foregoing affords a small taste of that and a sense, as needed, of the multiple sources behind the poems. Sep 15, 2009 celan, paul translated by hamburger, michael 1988. Remembering france remember the paris skies, the huge crocuses. Who knows, perhaps poetry travels this routealso the route of artfor the sake of such a breathturn. Todnautberg pierre joris, one of the premier celan scholars and translators, discusses celans poem, todnautberg. In the writing of paul celan even we readers who can hear poetry only dimly in german can sense the greatness of his invention.
Poet, survivor, jew john felstiner teaches us how to pay better attention to one of the most serious and rewarding poets of our time. Soon after his parents, germanspeaking jews, had perished at the hands of the nazis, celan wrote the poem todesfuge deathfugue, which depicted life in a german concentration camp. Paul celan selected poetry twentyeight poems in a new freely downloadable translation. Todesfuge death fuge paul celan english recital poem. The work of romanianborn germanlanguage poet paul celan often centers on his experiences with the holocaust. He was born as paul antschel to a jewish family in cernau. Nov 16, 20 but its misleading, in celans case, to speak of love poetry as though this were an isolable subject or genre among others nature poetry, political poetry, religious poetry, etc.