Prof. Na'ama Rokam from the University of Chicago, to talk about her current research project on "Celan's Orientation Between the Languages”. This interdisciplinary project combines the study of linguistics and literature to trace the stories of writers who left Germany during World War II and returned after 1945.
In her talk, Rokam focused on Paul Celan’s poems "Die Rückwärtsgesprochenen” and “Nah, im Aortenbogen” and in particular the way he switches between German and Hebrew to tell a story. She demonstrated how the first poem is characterized by elements such as mirror writing and the search for identity and orientation. In the second poem, however, Celan makes use of biblical references to Rahel and the term “Ziw,” which can be regarded as an explanatory translation of “shine” and which deals with death.
The talk was followed by a discussion on the bilingual style of writing as well as the interpretation of Hebrew terms in Celan’s work that lack a word-for-word German translation. Amongst the attendants were various professors, graduate students and WCGS members, who enriched the discussion with illuminating contributions.
Written by IcGS candidate Ina Bendig