Мак і пам’ять / Mohn und Gedächtnis (bilingual)

Everything about it was unexpected and unusual – the way of thinking, the figurative structure, the formal sophistication, the language. However, it was by no means a sudden poetic epiphany that, by the will of providence, descended upon the young author, but the result of persistent years of work and tireless searches for an adequate embodiment of the painful issues that inevitably arose in the deeply traumatized German consciousness after the terrible Nazi crimes. With his collection “Poppies and Memory”, Celan sought to give a poetic response to the challenges of the time. Therefore, these poems are convincingly inscribed in the coordinates of their era – not only as its significant aesthetic achievement, but also as an important historical and ethical testimony. The book design uses Helga von Löwenich's painting "Poppies and Memory" from the series "Paul Celan - Metaphors and Associations" (watercolor, pigment paints on handmade French paper, 32x25 cm, 2005).