elana levy “Mein Schlüssel hat das Haus verloren. My Key has lost its House”
Saturday, May 14, 2022

elana levy translated and published a selection of Rose Ausländer’s poetry in 2018. She reads from Ausländer’s work in the original German, and then her English translations.

When elana first read a poem by Ausländer, she immediately connected to the poet. elana was born in New York City to parents who had escaped from Nazi Germany. Her own poetry often reflects her holocaust connections, particularly in her poetry collection,  Legacies and heresies with blessings. Her most recent poetry book is Free as a Bird in a Roomy Cage, 2017.

elana feels privileged to share Rose Ausländer’s poems with an English-speaking  audience.

Rose Ausländer, born in Czernowitz, lived from 1901–1988, spanning WWI and WWII. Her poems, particularly those written after her experience as a European Jew during WW II, speak with a spare, strong, life-affirming voice. Ausländer’s unique poetry is well-known in Europe, but not yet in the United States of America.

If you would like to view our archive video of the presentation, contact Dr. Marion Gerlind for access. You can view a trailer here.