Paul Celan (1920–1970), born in Romania, was a Jewish poet, translator, and Holocaust survivor, widely regarded as the greatest German-language poet of the late-twentieth century. His most famous poem, “Death Fugue,” is imbued with concentration camp imagery and is said to have elevated despondency to an art form. Ten poetry collections include The Sand from the Urns, The No-One’s Rose, and Lightduress. Celan suffered lifelong guilt over his parents’ death, having tried unsuccessfully to convince them to leave Ukraine ahead of the Nazis. He died by suicide.
WORKS THAT HAVE APPEARED IN NARRATIVE:
- Only When, poetry, in Poems of the Week: 2012–2013