Selma Meerbaum-Eisinger
Encyclopedia
Selma Meerbaum-Eisinger was a Romania
n-born German-language
poet. A Jew
, she was a victim of the Holocaust
and died at the age of 18 in a labor camp
in Ukraine.
Selma Meerbaum-Eisinger was the daughter of a shopkeeper Max Meerbaum in Cernăuţi (Czernowitz)
, a town in the Northern Bukovina region of Romania (subsequently Chernivtsi
, Ukraine
). Eisinger was the surname of her stepfather. At an early age she began to study literature. Her work shows a heavy influence by those she studied: Heinrich Heine
, Rainer Maria Rilke
, Klabund
, Paul Verlaine
and Rabindranath Tagore
. In 1939 she began to write poetry, and was already a skilled translator, being able to translate between French
, Romanian
, Yiddish
and her native German. After German troops invaded
in 1940, and the region where she lived was ceded to the Soviet Union
in July 1941, the family was forced to relocate to the city's ghetto
. In 1942 the family was deported to the Mikhailovska labor camp in rural Ukraine, where Selma soon died of typhus.
Meerbaum-Eisinger's work comprises 57 poems, which were written in pencil
and hand-bound into a volume named Blütenlese (English: Blossom Vintage/The Reaping of Blossoms). 52 poems were of her own and the rest were translations from French, Yiddish and Romanian. The volume was dedicated to her love and best friend, Lejser Fichman, a year her senior. It was planned that Fichman would give the book of poems to another friend of Meerbaum-Eisinger's, who would have the book published upon its arrival in Israel
. However, Fichman died en route and was unable to transmit the book. Her poems were rediscovered and published by Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Israel, in 1979, edited by Adolf Rauchwerger. In 1980 they were then published in Germany
, through the efforts of journalist and researcher Jürgen Serke. The lost volume was published in its entirety under the title Ich bin in Sehnsucht eingehüllt (English: I am engulfed in longing). An audiobook of the poems was produced in November 2005.
style, with a generally melancholy mood throughout. Literary critics count her among the ranks of world-class poets, and fellow poet Hilde Domin
said that her poems were "clear, beautiful, light, yet conveyed a sense of foreboding." Her poems, with the poems of Rose Ausländer
and Paul Celan
, are considered to make up an important part of the German-Jewish culture of Bukovina
.
----
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n-born German-language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
poet. A Jew
History of the Jews in Romania
The history of Jews in Romania concerns the Jews of Romania and of Romanian origins, from their first mention on what is nowadays Romanian territory....
, she was a victim of the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
and died at the age of 18 in a labor camp
Labor camp
A labor camp is a simplified detention facility where inmates are forced to engage in penal labor. Labor camps have many common aspects with slavery and with prisons...
in Ukraine.
Selma Meerbaum-Eisinger was the daughter of a shopkeeper Max Meerbaum in Cernăuţi (Czernowitz)
Chernivtsi
Chernivtsi is the administrative center of Chernivtsi Oblast in southwestern Ukraine. The city is situated on the upper course of the River Prut, a tributary of the Danube, in the northern part of the historic region of Bukovina, which is currently divided between Romania and Ukraine...
, a town in the Northern Bukovina region of Romania (subsequently Chernivtsi
Chernivtsi
Chernivtsi is the administrative center of Chernivtsi Oblast in southwestern Ukraine. The city is situated on the upper course of the River Prut, a tributary of the Danube, in the northern part of the historic region of Bukovina, which is currently divided between Romania and Ukraine...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
). Eisinger was the surname of her stepfather. At an early age she began to study literature. Her work shows a heavy influence by those she studied: Heinrich Heine
Heinrich Heine
Christian Johann Heinrich Heine was one of the most significant German poets of the 19th century. He was also a journalist, essayist, and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of Lieder by composers such as Robert Schumann...
, Rainer Maria Rilke
Rainer Maria Rilke
René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke , better known as Rainer Maria Rilke, was a Bohemian–Austrian poet. He is considered one of the most significant poets in the German language...
, Klabund
Klabund
Alfred Henschke , better known by his pseudonym Klabund, was a German writer.-Life:Klabund, born Alfred Henschke in 1890 in Krossen, was the son of an apothecary. At the age of 16 he came down with tuberculosis, which the doctors initially misdiagnosed as pneumonia...
, Paul Verlaine
Paul Verlaine
Paul-Marie Verlaine was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the fin de siècle in international and French poetry.-Early life:...
and Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
. In 1939 she began to write poetry, and was already a skilled translator, being able to translate between French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
, Yiddish
Yiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
and her native German. After German troops invaded
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1940, and the region where she lived was ceded to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in July 1941, the family was forced to relocate to the city's ghetto
Ghetto
A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
. In 1942 the family was deported to the Mikhailovska labor camp in rural Ukraine, where Selma soon died of typhus.
Meerbaum-Eisinger's work comprises 57 poems, which were written in pencil
Pencil
A pencil is a writing implement or art medium usually constructed of a narrow, solid pigment core inside a protective casing. The case prevents the core from breaking, and also from marking the user’s hand during use....
and hand-bound into a volume named Blütenlese (English: Blossom Vintage/The Reaping of Blossoms). 52 poems were of her own and the rest were translations from French, Yiddish and Romanian. The volume was dedicated to her love and best friend, Lejser Fichman, a year her senior. It was planned that Fichman would give the book of poems to another friend of Meerbaum-Eisinger's, who would have the book published upon its arrival in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. However, Fichman died en route and was unable to transmit the book. Her poems were rediscovered and published by Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Israel, in 1979, edited by Adolf Rauchwerger. In 1980 they were then published in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, through the efforts of journalist and researcher Jürgen Serke. The lost volume was published in its entirety under the title Ich bin in Sehnsucht eingehüllt (English: I am engulfed in longing). An audiobook of the poems was produced in November 2005.
Style and critical reception
The poems left by Meerbaum-Eisinger are written an in a strikingly confident and lyrical impressionistImpressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...
style, with a generally melancholy mood throughout. Literary critics count her among the ranks of world-class poets, and fellow poet Hilde Domin
Hilde Domin
Hilde Domin , whose real name was Hilde Palm , was a German lyric poet and writer. She was amongst the most important German-language poets of her time.-Biography:...
said that her poems were "clear, beautiful, light, yet conveyed a sense of foreboding." Her poems, with the poems of Rose Ausländer
Rose Ausländer
Rose Ausländer , maiden name Rosalie Beatrice Scherzer, was a Jewish German- and English language poet. She was born in Bucovina, and lived in U.S.A, Romania, and Germany....
and Paul Celan
Paul Celan
Paul Celan was a poet and translator...
, are considered to make up an important part of the German-Jewish culture of Bukovina
Bukovina
Bukovina is a historical region on the northern slopes of the northeastern Carpathian Mountains and the adjoining plains.-Name:The name Bukovina came into official use in 1775 with the region's annexation from the Principality of Moldavia to the possessions of the Habsburg Monarchy, which became...
.
----
External links
- Fichmanselma at www.libraries.uc.edu http://www.selma.tv