THE PRECARIOUSNESS OF GENRE: GERMAN-LANGUAGE POETRY FROM THE HOLOCAUST

While publications on all aspects of Holocaust literature continue to abound in German Studies, the study of German-language poetry written during the Holocaust in situations of internment has been surprisingly marginalized, particularly in comparison to the multitude of publications on poetry written 'after Auschwitz'. Guided by John Frow's reflections in Genre, who views texts as performances of genre and, ultimately, as bearers of discursive power, this article explores the reasons for the imbalance by tracing uses of the term Holocaust Poetry in West Germany and by illustrating perceptions and readings of German-language poetry from the Holocaust. The article engages with current research on poetry written in the camps to illustrate the various modalities and combinations that constitute the hybrid nature of poetic texts, especially of those produced by prisoners in the Theresienstadt transit camp between 1941 and 1945.