Over the years, I've read a number of anthologies of poetry on the Holocaust. Among them are Beyond Lament: Poets of the World Bearing Witness to the Holocaust, The Last Lullaby: Poetry from the Holocaust, Holocaust Poetry, and Blood to Remember: American Poets on the Holocaust.
Each has its own special focus. One concentrates on poets alive during the Holocaust; another gathers together poems from around the world; and a third looks at poems written by Holocaust survivors and victims. All of these works, of course, are valuable, but I find myself most often returning to one anthology of Holocaust poetry, the one edited by Charles Adès Fishman, my co-editor here at Writing the Holocaust. The range of poets represented is truly extensive, and whenever I find myself wanting to see what a poet has written about the Holocaust, Fishman's Blood to Remember: American Poets on the Holocaust is the book I turn to first.
It contains the work of over 200 poets, some old, some new, some well known and others not so well known, but the breadth and depth of writing here is remarkable. Also valuable are the personal remarks made by many of the poets regarding what moved them to write poetry in response to the Holocaust.
Take a look.
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An extensive review of this book by Michael R. Burch appears at Hypertexts.
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Hello, I am writing about appropriation of violence and wondered, as editors, if you and Mr. Fishman considered whether or not the poets included in Blood to Remember were themselves survivors, or of Jewish descent? There seems to exist a level of 'permission' when it comes to writing about certain topics that fascinates me. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteIf you would like to discuss this topic with me, you will need to identify yourself. Write to me, if you wish: carolus@optimum.net.
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