Inspirational Quotes by Nelly Sachs (German Poet)

Nelly Sachs (1891–1970,) born Leonie Nelly Sachs, was a German-Swedish poet and dramatist known for her poignant works on Jewish suffering and exile. Her poetry and plays explore persecution, survival, and spiritual transcendence, earning her the 1966 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Born in Berlin, Germany, she grew up in a prosperous Jewish family and began writing poetry at 17. As Nazi persecution intensified, she fled to Sweden in 1940, narrowly escaping deportation. In exile, she learned Swedish, translated poetry, and developed her distinct literary voice.

Her first major collection, In den Wohnungen des Todes (1947, In the Houses of Death,) captured the Holocaust’s horrors. Other notable works include Sternverdunkelung (1949, Eclipse of Stars,) Und niemand weiss weiter (1957, And No One Knows Where to Go,) and Flucht und Verwandlung (1959, Flight and Metamorphosis,) all examining Jewish exile and resilience.

Her verse drama Eli: Ein Mysterienspiel vom Leiden Israels (1951, Eli: A Mystery Play of the Sufferings of Israel) was widely acclaimed. O die Schornsteine (1967, O the Chimneys) remains one of her most famous poems, symbolizing Holocaust remembrance.

More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Nelly Sachs