About
Paul Celan, born Paul Antschel in Czernowitz, Bukovina, is a major post-Holocaust poet. From a German-speaking Jewish family, he survived Romanian labor camps, but his parents were killed. Settling in Paris in 1948, he published influential collections such as Mohn und Gedächtnis and Sprachgitter. His poem 'Todesfuge' became an iconic work of Holocaust literature. He received the Georg Büchner Prize in 1960. He died by suicide in the Seine in 1970.
* 1920-11-23 — † 1970-04-20
Major works
- Mohn und Gedächtnis (1952)poetry collection
- Sprachgitter (1959)poetry collection
- Die Niemandsrose (1963)poetry collection
- Atemwende (1967)poetry collection
- Todesfuge (1948)poem
Key milestones
- 1942His parents are deported and killed; he is sent to Romanian labor camps.
- 1948Settles permanently in Paris.
- 1960Receives the Georg Büchner Prize.
Themes
Holocaustmemorylanguageexilenature
Sources: id.loc.gov · britannica.com · encyclopedia.yivo.org