Paul Celan: Studies in His Early Poetry

269 Pages·2008·1.44 MB·German

by  Hugo Bekker

Paul Celan
Amsterdamer Publikationen
zur Sprache und Literatur
in Verbindung mit
Peter Boerner, Bloomington; Hugo Dyserinck, Aachen;
Ferdinand van Ingen, Amsterdam; Friedrich Maurer†,
Freiburg; Oskar Reichmann, Heidelberg
herausgegeben von
Cola Minis†
und
Arend Quak
157
Paul Celan
Studies in His Early Poetry
Hugo Bekker
Amsterdam - New York, NY 2008
Cover illustration: Edgar Jené. Der Traum vom Traume. Mit 30
Abbildungen und einer Vorbemerkung von Otto Basil.
Wien, Agathon 1948.
Cover design: Pier Post
The paper on which this book is printed meets the requirements of
"ISO 9706:1994, Information and documentation - Paper for documents -
Requirements for permanence".
ISBN: 978-90-420-2382-6
©Editions Rodopi B.V., Amsterdam - New York, NY 2008
Printed in The Netherlands
For

Elizabeth

Stephanie

and

Anne Sarah

Acknowledgments

A grateful salute is due to those whose unstinting help gave final shape
to this volume. Stephanie Bekker astutely recognized the
improvements the manuscript needed. Kathy Corl turned out to be a
wizard when it came to compelling the computer to do her bidding.
Without the aid of these two the struggles with Celan’s poetry could
not have resulted in an acceptable outcome. The Suhrkamp Verlag
kindly permitted the citing of the poems discussed in this volume.

Contents

Preface: Celan’s Early Years xi

Introduction xv

I: The Beginnings, Part I 1

II: The Beginnings, Part II 25

III: Poppies, Forgetfulness, Dreams, Rebels 47

IV: Things (Quasi-) Medieval 71

V: War 97

VI: The Mother Figure 121

VII: On the Way to Todesfuge 143

VIII: Poetic Devices and Their Consequences 171

Appendix: The Lithographs in Der Sand aus den Urnen 207

Abbreviations 227

Bibliography 229

Index of Names 241

Index of German Celan Poems Cited 245