About the Author

Paul Celan (1920-1970) was born Paul Antschel of a German-speaking Jewish family in Czernowitz, Bukovina, then part of Romania. He was sent to a labor camp during World War II.  After the war, he settled in Paris where he lived with his wife Gisèle Lestrange until his death. He is widely considered to be one of the most innovative and important poets of the twentieth century. John Felstiner is the author of Paul Celan: Poet, Survivor, Jew. He teaches at Stanford University.