Pierre Joris and “The Whole Celan”—a Life's Work

Abstract

Abstract Pierre Joris is one of the most distinguished translators of the poetry of Paul Celan into English. He is the only person to have translated Celan's complete poetic works and prose over the course of more than fifty years, creating a life's work. His translations, begun in 1967 and published between 1995 and 2020, have had and continue to have a lasting influence on readings and translations of Celan in the United States. This essay outlines the particular challenges that Celan's language poses to the translator; revisits the development of Joris's Celan translations; and provides an example examination using the poem “Todtnauberg,” in which Celan reflects on his encounter with Martin Heidegger. It was Joris's translation of this poem that inspired the poet Charles Bernstein to undertake his own translation experiment.