Hilda Schiff

It's hard for me to review a book like this. On the one hand, I found some poets who were new to me and I definitely plan on trying to track down collections of their work (some are out of print; others have never been translated properly into English, which makes me sad). On the other hand, there didn't seem to be much of a theme here, except that the poems mentioned the Holocaust somehow. I was surprised by some of the poems contained here, particularly the one by Sylvia Plath, which I didn't feel fit at all (and may have been added to the cover for "buy me, I have a poem by Sylvia Plath in me!" appeal).

But there are some gems contained in this book that gutted me. Miklos Radnoti, Boris Slutsky, Janos Pilinszky, Jerzy Ficowski, Tadeusz Rozewicz, Elie Wiesel, Primo Levi...give me ALL of their poems, please. I think the story of Miklos Radnoti touched me the most; some of the poems included in this collection were found on his body, where he was shot and buried in a mass grave in 1944. Talk about chilling. I instantly bought as many books as I could find that contained his poetry, and I haven't been disappointed yet. I'm also looking forward to buying Boris Slutsky's Glas 19 (it's currently out of stock); his poem about how his grandmother was killed while he was fighting on the front was breathtaking and heartbreaking and courageous and EVERYTHING.

Recommended? Yes. Just be prepared for a wide range of poetry.… (mere)

I knew going into this particular collection that I would find it an unpleasant experience, which is largely why this didn't get one star. I am not a fan of poetry of any sort. I don't get the deeper meaning of poets and do not looking for those hidden nuances that are intended. Here while all the pieces reflect an overarching theme I can't say one in particular stood out for me. It was interesting to see another way of conveying ones thoughts about this horrible point of history, but it is just one that didn't work effectively for me in particular. I would, however, recommend this to individuals that actually enjoy reading poetry in some format.… (mere)

Schiff's editorial choices for "Holocaust Poetry" are excellent. This work paired with "Imagining the Holocaust" provide a foundation for reflection and research on the Holocaust. My personal library and studies into Holocaust and genocide branched out from searching out works from authors and topics covered in "Holocaust Poetry".

Schiff's choice in poets is based on a semi-chronological, yet topical format. Both Jewish and gentile poets are included in what becomes a narrative on the Holocaust collectively.

Poet Lily Brett laments that she cannot remember the statistics well enough.

I keep forgetting
the facts and statistics
and each time
I need to know them
(p. 138-139)

The poetry pulls at the living who struggle to find ways to preserve victims by keeping every detail alive through memory and not just on Brett's 12 shelves of books.

Janet Mulligan Bowen, MA… (mere)

Holocaust Poetry compiled by and introduced by Hilda Schiff is a collection of poetry dealing with World War II and the Holocaust. The compilation is divided into six sections: Alienation; Persecution; Rescuers, Bystanders, Perpetrators; Afterwards; Second Generation; and Lessons. There are well-known poems in this collection and poems from young children. A few of the poems in this collection already have been featured on Savvy Verse & Wit's Virtual Poetry Circle; check out "If" by Edward Bond and "The Butterfly" by Pavel Friedmann.

Each poem in the collection uses all-too-familiar images to demonstrate connections with family, friends, and strangers. and as each poem unfolds readers feel the devastation and hopelessness of each narrator. Schiff says in the introduction, "The more or less contemporaneous literature of any period of history is not only an integral part of that period, but it also allows us to understand historical events and experiences better than the bare facts alone can do because they enable us to absorb them inwardly." More or less, readers of poetry will find these observations valid, as will readers of fiction.

However, there are moments of levity when narrators poke fun at the devastating events of Nazi Germany's actions.

The Burning of the Books (Page 8)

When the Regime commanded that books with harmful knowledge
Should be publicly burned on all sides
Oxen were forced to drag cart loads of books
To the bonfires, a banished
Writer, one of the best, scanning the list of the
Burned, was shocked to find that his
Books had been passed over. He rushed to his desk
On wings of wrath, and wrote a letter to those in power.
Burn me! he wrote with flying pen, burn me. Haven't my
books
Always reported the truth? And here you are
Treating me like a liar! I command you:
Burn me!

Beyond the poems in the collection depicting the horrors and the losses of persecuted people in Germany, the poems of bystanders, perpetrators, and others are surprising. They talk of how they stood by and did nothing, how they want to help even if they are too late. Despite the time for help being long passed, these narrators express not guilt so much as regret -- a deep regret at having been so paralyzed by fear that they did nothing or acted contrary to who they believed themselves to be.

I Did Not Manage to Save (page 86)

I did not manage to save
a single life

I did not know how to stop
a single bullet

and I wander round cemeteries
which are not there

I look for words
which are not there
I run

to help where no one called
to rescue after the event

I want to be on time
even if I am too late

The poems selected for the "Second Generation" section will tug at readers heart strings, deepening the sense of loss. An emptiness is present in some of these poems. Short biographies are included at the back of the book for readers interested in the poets' lives and connections to WWII and the Holocaust.

Holocaust Poetry is a collection that should be read in chunks rather than all at once. Readers may succumb to sorrow if they attempt to read the entire collection in once sitting, but even then, readers will fall into the darkness and emerge in the light. Overall, the collection is a must have for anyone interested in this time period and learning more about how WWII and the Holocaust impact individual lives and families.… (mere)