Paul Celan

A poet of German-Jewish descent. His real name was Antschel. He was born in Chernivtsi, northern Romania (now Ukraine). During World War II, his parents died in a concentration camp, and he himself was forced to work. After the war, he studied in Paris and acquired French citizenship. From 1959, he taught German literature at the University of Paris, while continuing to write and translate poetry in German, but he never lived in Germany. He committed suicide by jumping into the Seine. His works are extremely heavy and difficult to understand in terms of expression and subject matter, but they have a definite physical feeling and depth. From his early period, when he was influenced by surrealism and symbolism, to his later period, when he created a condensed poetic world by making full use of rare and coined words, his linguistic ability continued to expand to the point of seeming overuse. This strong linguistic consciousness, which contextualizes poetry itself and seeks to approach a new reality, was born from his thorough criticism and denial of reality. On the other hand, he also pushed poetry to the limits of communicability. His subjects are diverse, including human history, Jewish mysticism, and current events. His poetry collections include "Poppies and Memory" (1952), "Lattice of Words" (1959), "Rose of the Void" (1963), "Turn of Breath" (1967), "Threads of the Sun" (1968), and "Obsession of Light" (1970). His Büchner Prize acceptance speech "Meridian" (1960) is a fine work of poetic theory. His translations of poems in French, Russian, English, Italian, Portuguese, Hebrew, and other languages, which exceed his works in quantity, also demonstrate his rare command of language.

[Tetsuhiko Hiyama]

"Celan's Poetry Collection, translated by Mitsuo Iiyoshi (1972, Shichosha)" ▽ "Approaching Light, translated by Mitsuo Iiyoshi (1972, Shichosha)" ▽ "Snow Zone Part, translated by Mitsuo Iiyoshi (1985, Seijisha)" ▽ "Paul Celan's Essays on Poetry, translated by Mitsuo Iiyoshi (1986, Seijisha)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ドイツ系ユダヤ出自の詩人。本名アンチェルAntschel。生地は北部ルーマニアのチェルノフツィ（現ウクライナ）。第二次世界大戦中、両親は強制収容所で死亡、自身も強制労働に従事する。戦後パリに学びフランス市民権を獲得。1959年以降パリ大学で教鞭(きょうべん)（ドイツ文学）をとるかたわら、ドイツ語での詩作・翻訳を続けたが、生涯ドイツには住まなかった。セーヌ川に投身自殺。作品は表現・題材ともにきわめて重く難解だが、確かな肉体感をもち奥行がある。シュルレアリスムや象徴主義の影響を受けた初期から、稀(き)（奇）語(ご)・造語を駆使して凝縮した詩世界をつくりだす後期まで、酷使とみえるほどにことばの能力が拡大され続ける。詩自体を状況化し、新たな現実への接近を求めるこの強靭(きょうじん)な言語意識は、徹底した現実批判・現実否定から生まれた。だが一方、伝達可能性の極限にまで詩を追い込みもした。素材は人類史、ユダヤ神秘思想、時事など多岐にわたる。詩集は『罌粟(けし)と記憶』（1952）、『言葉の格子』（1959）、『無者の薔薇(ばら)』（1963）、『息の転回』（1967）、『糸の太陽』（1968）、『光の強迫』（1970）など。ビュヒナー賞受賞講演「子午線」（1960）は良質の詩論である。フランス・ロシア・英・イタリア・ポルトガル・ヘブライ語など、量において作品に勝る詩の翻訳もまた彼が稀有(けう)なことばの遣い手であることを示す。

［檜山哲彦］

『飯吉光夫訳『ツェラン詩集』（1972・思潮社）』▽『飯吉光夫訳『迫る光』（1972・思潮社）』▽『飯吉光夫訳『雪の区域パート』（1985・静地社）』▽『飯吉光夫訳『パウル・ツェラン詩論集』（1986・静地社）』

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