Celan s poem death fugue 1948 gives the titles and themes to kiefers paintings margarethe 1981 and sulamith 1983. The split this rock poetry festival series features segmented video clips of internationally recognized poets from all over the world. Death fugue black milk of morning we drink you at dusktime. A list of poems by paul celan paul antschel, who wrote under the pseudonym paul celan, was born in czernovitz, in romania, on november 23, 1920. Fugue of death by paul celan academy of american poets. Some of the post war poets we studied, like paul celan, are seared so boldly into me that i often cannot touch even the memory. His most famous poem, death fugue, mixes grim surrealism with grimmer declaration.
Death fugue translation of paul celan s todesfugue by michael burch. Fugue of death bears all the marks of an early poem. 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. He was born as paul antschel to a jewish family in chernivtsy, ukraine, and adopted the pseudonym paul celan. Todesfugue quotdeath fuguequot by paul celanloose translationinterpretation by michael r. Its jewish author, paul celan, was born in czernovitz, now rumania, in 1912, when it was part of the austrohungarian empire, and german is his native tongue. Like those books, the subject matter of the poem is the experience of life in the. Czernowitz, in the then kingdom of romania now chernivtsy, ukraine, and adopted the pseudonym paul celan. Paul celan and the meaning of language an interview with.
They refer, respectively, to a german guard and a jewish prisoner in a death camp. A poem and a short story by germanys greatest post w w ii poet prussia, the ruler of germany, was always an enemy of the intellect, of books, of the book of books that is, the bibleof. Paul celans deathfugue belongs among the group of great and terrifying literary. Paul celan s deathfugue belongs among the group of great and terrifying literary works written by survivors of the holocaust, such as night by elie wiesel and the memoirs of primo levi. He became one of the major germanlanguage poets of the postworld war ii era. Death is a master from germany, celan s most quoted words, translated into english in different ways, are from the poem todesfuge death fugue. He calls play that death thing more sweetly death is a gangboss aus deutschland he calls scrape that fiddle more darkly then hover like smoke in the air then scoop out a grave in the clouds where its roomy to lie. Todesfuge death fuge paul celan english recital poem. Todesfuge translated into english as death fugue1 and fugue of death2 is a german language poem written by the romanianborn poet. Paul celan was born paul antschel in romania in 1920, and he became famous for his work in poetry and translation in 1960s germany. Celan was born in romania but grew up speaking german in a jewish family. Its jewish author, paul celan, was born in czernovitz. Paul celan was born paul antschel in czernovitz, romania, to a germanspeaking jewish family. We think the attempt by john felstiner best captures the unique sound and.
His works incorporate materials such as straw, ash, clay, lead, and shellac. He is one of the many jewish writers i am studying. Todesfuge death fugue, aim for skeletal erasion and economy of expression, they. Hamburgers translations are excellent, probably the best that will ever come about in english given the concise nature of paul celan s poetry.
Among readers interested in 20thcentury jewish literature, paul celan might be a common source of readerly embarrassment. Todesfuge translated into english as death fugue and fugue of death is a german language poem written by the romanianborn poet paul celan probably around 1945 and first published in 1948. Fugue of death black milk of daybreak we drink it at nightfall black milk of daybreak we drink it at nightfall the academy of american poets is the largest membershipbased nonprofit organization. Translated into many languages, it, along with celan. One place where volume does return, the utterance bearing the marks of great. In 1938 celan went to paris to study medicine, but returned to romania before the outbreak of world war ii. This is a digitized version of an article from the timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. He studied with joseph beuys and peter dreher during the 1970s. Todesfuge explained translated into english as death fugue and fugue of death is a german language poem written by the romanianborn poet paul celan probably around 1945 and first published in 1948. Paul celan was a poet and translator born in the east european province of bukovina. Death fugue, or todesfuge, remains celan s most popular poem, although he at one time repudiated it, refusing to anthologize it further or to read it aloud. Paul celan s widely recognized as the greatest and most studied postwar european poet.
Paul celan s past was not the type of past you would wish upon another person. In his life, like many other twentiethcentury artists, he bore witness to too much tragedy. Paul celanwa s the pseudonym of paul anczel, who was born in romanian bukovina in 1920. He was born as paul antschel into a jewish family in the former kingdom of romania cernauti now belongs to ukraine, and changed his name to paul celan where celan. Selected poems and prose of paul celan celan, paul, felstiner, john on. Summary of paul celans death fugue 1082 words bartleby. He calls out more sweetly play death death is a master from germany he calls out more darkly now stroke your strings then as. Paul celan is a masterful germanlanguage poet and translator who was born in romania in 1920. Paul celan was a german language poet and translator. Paul celan was born paul antschel in czernovitz, romania, to a. Paul celan s death fugue was originally written in romanian in 1944, put in its final form in 1945, then translated into german in 1948, the date of its. His home town was occupied by russian troops in 1940 and by the germans in. At once demanding and highly rewarding, his poetry dominates the field in the aftermath of the holocaust.
This selection of poems, now available in paper for the first time, is comprised of previously untranslated work, opening facets of celans oeuvre. At their may meeting he read his poem todesfuge death fugue. Paul celan is one of the earliest to attempt to untangle the complications of the horrifying event that changed his life and millions of others worldwide with his poem, death fugue. Paul celan was a romanianborn german language poet and translator. The book includes numerous poems, some translated into english for the first time, which chalfen anchors to specific incidents in celans life and to a variety of. Literature in 2002 for his holocaust book roman eines schicksallosen.
I talk is not the same as the language the german people are talking here. Anselm kiefer born 8 march 1945 is a german painter and sculptor. Black milk of morning we drink you at night we drink you at noontime death is a gangboss aus deutschland. Some people prefer a translation of the original title in romanian, death. Paul celan author of poems of paul celan goodreads. He was born as paul antschel to a jewish family in cernau. American readers know only his poem todesfuge, or death fugue.
Death fugue by paul celan poems academy of american poets. Ash flower, 2006 your golden hair, margarethe is a 1981 painting inspired by celan s poem death fugue. This poem about life in death and death in life in a concentration camp made a sensation in german literary circles when it first appeared in print. A man lives in the house he plays with the serpents. His surname was later spelled ancel, and he eventually adopted the anagram celan as his pen name. Death fugue paul celan poem famous inspirational poems. To the atmosphere that this tango of sound with sense creates, the classical. Paul celan s parents both were murdered in a concentration camp. Czernowitz, in the then kingdom of romania now chernivtsi, ukraine, and adopted the pseudonym paul celan.
1495 85 459 535 695 721 802 765 1372 1012 9 1177 22 715 660 70 106 1600 558 459 395 168 557 1595 232 205 1178 122 275 1465 468 117 487 28 630 582 1175 695 1040 390 1298 615