Writing shaped by persecution
Born in 1891, Sachs experienced the rise of Nazism in Europe. These events transformed her writing and made her a spokesperson for the grief and yearning of her fellow Jews.
Literature · Music
Nelly Sachs
Poetry and drama expressing the grief and yearning of European Jews persecuted under Nazism.
Nelly Sachs was a German-Swedish poet and playwright whose experiences during the rise of Nazism shaped her work. Her best-known play is "Eli: Ein Mysterienspiel vom Leiden Israels." In 1966, she shared the Nobel Prize in Literature with Shmuel Yosef Agnon.
Worth knowing
A mystery play of suffering
Her best-known play is "Eli: Ein Mysterienspiel vom Leiden Israels" (1950), translated as "Eli: A Mystery Play of Israel’s Suffering."
Major poetry collections
Her poetry collections include "In den Wohnungen des Todes" (1947), "Flucht und Verwandlung" (1959), and "Fahrt ins Staublose" (1961).
Nobel Prize in Literature
In 1966, Sachs shared the Nobel Prize in Literature with Shmuel Yosef Agnon.
Dorotheenstadt Cemetery
Nelly Sachs is buried at the Dorotheenstadt Cemetery in Berlin.
Addresses you can still visit
Every place in this city with a documented tie to this person.
Burial place
Dorotheenstadt Cemetery
Nelly Sachs is buried at the Dorotheenstadt Cemetery.
Follow the story on foot
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