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Writing in the Enemy's Language: Jewish Poets After the Holocaust
- Pacific Time Virtual Program
$54.00
Course Summary for Search and Accessibility
This course, Writing in the Enemy's Language: Jewish Poets After the Holocaust, is an Educational Program offered by New Lehrhaus. It is scheduled for August 20, August 27, and September 3, 2026. The sessions are held on Thursdays from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm Pacific Time.
The total registration fee is $54.00. The course is conducted Online and focuses on Holocaust poetry and postwar European literature, the lives and work of Paul Celan, Ingeborg Bachmann, and Nelly Sachs, and the use of the German language as an act of resistance and reclamation after the Shoah.
How do you write poetry in the language of those who tried to destroy you? For Paul Celan, Ingeborg Bachmann, and Nelly Sachs, German was both wound and weapon, the only language in which they could bear witness to what the world had done.
This three-session course introduces you to three of the twentieth century's most courageous and innovative poets, whose friendships sustained them as they transformed personal and collective trauma into some of the most powerful verse of the postwar era. We'll explore how each writer navigated the moral and artistic challenge of reclaiming a language shadowed by atrocity, and why their work remains essential reading for anyone seeking to understand Holocaust literature, postwar European poetry, and the resilience of the human voice.
No prior knowledge of German is required. All texts are read in English translation.
Who this is for:
- Readers of Holocaust literature and postwar European history who want to go deeper into the literary response to the Shoah.
- Poetry lovers curious about how form and language can carry the weight of historical trauma.
- Anyone drawn to the lives and friendships of writers who refused to be silenced.
What you'll leave with:
- A meaningful introduction to the poetry of Paul Celan, Ingeborg Bachmann, and Nelly Sachs.
- A framework for understanding how postwar poets used the German language as an act of resistance and reclamation.
- A reading list and tools to continue exploring Holocaust poetry and twentieth-century European literature on your own.
Three Thursdays: August 20, 27, and September 3, 7–8:30pm Pacific
IMPORTANT NOTE: Zoom link/details will be emailed to you once you complete registration, one week before your program AND the day before. Please keep this information in a location easy to find.
How many people would you like to register for this program?
| Jewish Poets in German | $54.00 100 available | |
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