Sarah Kirsch

Sarah Kirsch (; 16 April 1935 – 5 May 2013) was a German poet.

Biography Sarah Kirsch was originally born Ingrid Bernstein in Limlingerode, Prussian Saxony but had changed her first name to Sarah in order to protest against antisemitism. She protested against East Germany's expulsion of Wolf Biermann in 1976, which led to her exclusion from the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED).

Work Sarah Kirsch is known both for her poetry and her (lyrically inflected) prose. She also translated children's books into German. According to complete review , "the great German-language post-war poets were largely East German (or Austrian) born in the mid to late 1930s which included towering figures such as Volker Braun, Heinz Czechowski" and Sarah Kirsch who was "the most prominent female representative of that generation." Andreas Dorschel credits her prose with "highly flexible spelling, nuanced in puns, archaisms, turns of dialect, peculiar rhythms, poetic imagery".

Bibliography (selection)

Berlin – Sonnenseite. Deutschlandtreffen der Jugend in der Hauptstadt der DDR (1964), photo reportage, together with Thomas Billhardt and Rainer Kirsch Gespräch mit dem Saurier (1965), poems, together with Rainer Kirsch Die betrunkene Sonne (1966), children's book. Illustrations by Erich Gürtzig Landaufenthalt (1967), poems Zaubersprüche (1973), poems Trauriger Tag Die Pantherfrau. Fünf unfrisierte Erzählungen aus dem Kassettenrecorder (1973), Prose Die ungeheuren bergehohen Wellen auf See (1973), Prose Es war dieser merkwürdige Sommer (1974), poems selections Caroline im Wassertropfen (1975), children's book. Illustrations by Erdmut Oelschläger Zwischen Herbst und Winter (1975), children's book together with Ingrid Schuppan Rückenwind. Gedichte (1976), poems Im Sommer (1977) Musik auf dem Wasser (1977) Wintergedichte (1978) Katzenkopfpflaster (1978), poems Sieben Häute. Gedichte 1962–1979 (1979) Drachensteigen (1979), poems Trennung (1979), poems Wind und Schatten, together with Kota Taniuchi La Pagerie (1980), Prose, poems Geschlechtertausch (1980), together with Irmtraud Morgner and Christa Wolf Hans mein Igel (1980), children's book after the Brothers Grimm, Illustrations by Paula Schmidt Papiersterne (1981), set by music by Wolfgang von Schweinitz Erdreich (1982), poems Zwischen Herbst und Winter (1983), Illustrations by Kurt Mühlenhaupt. Gertraud Middelhauve Verlag, Katzenleben (1984), poems Landwege. Eine Auswahl 1980–1985 (1985), with an epilogue by Günter Kunert Hundert Gedichte und ein Gespräch über ihre Gedichte. (1985) (a selection from the books Landaufenthalt, Zaubersprüche, Rückenwind, Drachensteigen), Ebenhausen Reisezehrung (1986), Prose Irrstern (1987), Prose Book with poems by Sarah Kirsch and drawings by A. R. Penck in the Berlin „Edition Malerbücher“ (1987) Allerlei-Rauh. Eine Chronik (1988), Prose Luft und Wasser. Gedichte und Bilder, with pictures by Ingo Kühl, Edition Lutz Arnold in the Steidl Verlag, Göttingen 1988. Schneewärme. Gedichte (1989) Wintermusik (1989) Die Flut (1990), selection, compiled by Gerhard Wolf Schwingrasen (1991), Prose Spreu (1991), pictures diary Erlkönigs Tochter (1992), poems Das simple Leben (1994), Prose and poems Bodenlos (1996) Werke, Complete edition, five volumes in a slipcase (1999), DVA and dtv Katzen sprangen am Rande und lachten, poems and prose, selection by Franz-Heinrich Hackel, Manesse Verlag, Zürich 2000, Sarah Kirsch and Christoph W. Aigner: Beim Malen bin ich weggetreten (2000), art book Schwanenliebe. Zeilen und Wunder (2001), lyrical miniatures Islandhoch, Tagebruchstücke (2002), Prose Kommt der Schnee im Sturm geflogen (2005), Prose Kuckuckslichtnelken (2006), Prose Regenkatze (2007), Prose (Lyrical diary) Sommerhütchen (2008) Krähengeschwätz. Deutsche Verlagsanstalt, München 2010, Märzveilchen. Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, München 2012, Juninovember. Deutsche Verlagsanstalt, München 2014, Ice Roses: Selected Poems, translated to English by Anne Stokes, Carcanet, 2014 Ænglisch. Prose; with an epilogue by Frank Trende. Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, München 2015, Freie Verse: 99 Gedichte, Manesse Verlag, Zürich 2020,

Resources

Sarah Kirsch by Mererid Hopwood (1997)