Borders, Fractions, Bridges. European negotiations of identity in Paul Celan’s Poem Pau, später

Abstract

Paul Celans poem Pau, später (1965) deals with negotiations of identity and plays – textual and formal – with connections and separations. In this way the text thematises the coherence be-tween different eras, locations, and people. The context of different religious persecutions demonstrates the cruelty of European history and connects those with each other who have been excluded because of their divergence from dominant denominations. The poem criticises rigid defining of identity and offers a diasporan view which includes tolerance for cultural hybridity. Pau, später reflects on the heterogeneity and the similarities in Europe, which is why the text can be classified as transcultural European poem.