Review of Paul Celan: Selections
The following review just published on CUTTY SPOT:
[RE-VIEW OF PAUL CELAN’S ‘SELECTIONS’]
‘Paul Celan’ (23 November 1920 – c. 20 April 1970) was a Romanian poet and translator. He was born as Paul Antschel into a Jewish family in the former Kingdom of Romania (now Ukraine), and changed his name to ‘Paul Celan’ (where Celan in Romanian would be pronounced Chelan, and was derived from Ancel, pronounced Antshel), becomig one of the major German-language poets of the post-World War II era.’ (wikepedia)
‘In other words: the poem is born dark; the result of a radical individuation, it is born as a piece of language, as far as language manages to be world, is loaded with world’ – Celan‘[Celan] also translated a number of short stories by Franz Kafka, an author who was to remain of central importance to him for the rest of his life’ – translator Pierre Joris
Read the full review here.
“‘Only in the mother tongue can one speak one’s own truth, in a foreign language the poet lies.” Gee, and I do so much like your English work. I always have so much trouble with that Letzebuergesch inasmuch as it is an oral language. Kind of hard to read for a poor old Canuck. Mind you, it does stimulate the imagination somewhat.