Rilke, Trakl, Celan: German Poetry in Translation
F06
Mark Wunderlich
Rainer Marie Rilke, Georg Trakl, and Paul Celan defined the poetry of their age. In this course, we will examine in-depth the ways in which their work responded to the cataclysmic events of World War I (Trakl and Rilke), World War II and the Holocaust (Celan). Though each of these writers saw themselves as breaking from the poetic traditions of the time, we will see how their work was embedded in the cultural landscape of the post Austro-Hungarian Empire and how their work continues to influence writers today. Some knowledge of German is helpful, though not required.