How I got to the Altenheim: An American/ German Journey
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.
Wie ich zur deutschen Sprache gekommen bin | How I came to the German Language
Born in Berkeley, CA, in 1940, Travis studied French and German at Berkeley High School and later added Italian at UC Berkeley. He spent his Junior year at the interpreters' school with these trilingual studies in Geneva, where his Swiss roommate taught him some Swiss German. Travis married Phyllis in 1962 in Berkeley and graduated one year later. He joined the Army to avoid being drafted for Viet Nam, and went to “Intelligence School.” In 1964, he was transferred to Munich where he and Phyllis spent 22 months, living in an apartment and wearing civilian clothes to his office, becoming immersed in the German language and culture.
Evening with Madhuri Anji
I am the daughter of a German mother and an Indian father, and was born in Dresden, in what was then East Germany. My birthday, October 7th, was also the Tag der Republik, and according to my mother I was born just as a marching band went by the hospital.
My mother had petitioned to emigrate out of East Germany soon after the wall was built since my father lived and worked in the West. It took about 11 years before we were allowed to do so which is when we immigrated to India. I was one year old. I was fortunate that my parents spoke German at home, which allowed me to grow up bi-lingual. Although I learned and heard the local language (Kannada) around me all the time, I cannot speak it.