Lightduress was written between June and December 1967 and appeared approximately three months after the poet's suicide in 1970. 1967, the year in which he composed most of this book, had been a difficult year for Celan. He was accused of plagiarism, attempted suicide, was interned in a psychiatric hospital and also separated from his wife. During this same period, on the other hand, Celan wrote more than half of the poems of Threadsuns and a major part of this volume, and in July he lectured at a German university. Translated by noted poet Pierre Joris.

Author Biography

Born in Bukovina (now part of Romania) Celan saw his father and mother die because of the Nazi take over of their country and their imprisonment in camps. He spent most of his life in Paris writing in German before committing suicide. Pierre Joris lives in Albany, New York and teaches of SUNY-Albany.