Breathturn

(Paperback)

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A bilingual edition of celebrated German poet Paul Celan's most important collection. Midway through his writing career, Celan's work underwent a poetic change, the turn' of the title. Celan pared down his poems - the syntax growing more spiny and his trademark telescoping of words increasing, while the overall composition of his work became more serial in nature. Noted translator Pierre Joris conveys the cyclical aspect of Celan's writing in this translation of the 1967 work, while demonstrating the power of the linguistic experiments that define it.'

Author Bio

Born in Bukovina (now part of Romania) Celan saw his father and mother die because of the Nazi take over of their country and their imprisonment in camps. He spent most of his life in Paris writing in German before committing suicide. Pierre Joris lives in Albany, New York and teaches of SUNY-Albany.