Poet. His original name is Paul Antschel. He was born in Czernovitz, in Romania. Because of his jewish origin, in the 2nd World War he was interned to a Nazi labor camp, from where he escaped to the Red Army. In 1945 he started to publish translations. (He spoke several languages, including German, Romanian, Russian, French.) As a translator, he brought out works from writers such as Paul Valéry, Michaux, Mandelstam etc. His own collected poems was published at first in 1947, but just his second book (Poppy and Memory / "Mohn und Gedaechtnis") received critical attention. His most famous poem is Fugue of Death / "Todenfuge", it is about the life in the Nazi death camps. He resided in Bucharest, then in Vienna and finally in Paris. Married the painter Gisèle de Lestrange, he had a short but intense relationship and then a long friendship with the German poetess Ingeborg Bachmann. He wrote twelve collections of poetry and various critical essays, obtaining prestigious literary awards. Victim of severe depression, he took his own life on April 20, 1970 by throwing himself into the Seine from the Mirabeau bridge in Paris. His body was found in early May a few miles away.
Poet. His original name is Paul Antschel. He was born in Czernovitz, in Romania. Because of his jewish origin, in the 2nd World War he was interned to a Nazi labor camp, from where he escaped to the Red Army. In 1945 he started to publish translations. (He spoke several languages, including German, Romanian, Russian, French.) As a translator, he brought out works from writers such as Paul Valéry, Michaux, Mandelstam etc. His own collected poems was published at first in 1947, but just his second book (Poppy and Memory / "Mohn und Gedaechtnis") received critical attention. His most famous poem is Fugue of Death / "Todenfuge", it is about the life in the Nazi death camps. He resided in Bucharest, then in Vienna and finally in Paris. Married the painter Gisèle de Lestrange, he had a short but intense relationship and then a long friendship with the German poetess Ingeborg Bachmann. He wrote twelve collections of poetry and various critical essays, obtaining prestigious literary awards. Victim of severe depression, he took his own life on April 20, 1970 by throwing himself into the Seine from the Mirabeau bridge in Paris. His body was found in early May a few miles away.
Bio by: Apats
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