Paul Celan

"Paul Celan’s poetry is just bloodcurdling. It was written in concentration camps – he was a victim of the Nazis. The poetry is incredibly intense and almost surreal in its use of imagery. I didn’t know much about him before I read Felstiner’s book. I knew his name but I hadn’t read anything of his. It was an overwhelming experience to read the poetry in Felstiner’s translation, and to read about Celan himself and the process of translating work that documents one of the worst times in our history. It’s a very powerful book, and Celan is… actually I have no adjectives to describe the kind of poetry he writes – it’s just so powerful. Get the weekly Five Books newsletter It’s all of those things. In this book I found out about Celan’s life, his poetry and the translation process of several of his poems. That mix is one of the brilliant things that Felstiner can do. I don’t know anyone who writes books like him. I’m a great fan of his, even though I’ve never met him. I think he’s remarkable – he takes you by the hand and leads you through some very difficult terrain, which is the writing and translating of complex and difficult poetry. I don’t know if I could do the same. I would love to be able to, but I’ve never tried. I think there’s more of a link between being a good translator and being a writer – even a failed writer. Your commitment to writing is what really matters most as a translator. This interview was first published in February 2012."