Requiem: Poems of the Terezin Ghetto

by Paul B. Janeczko

Hardcover, 2011

Status

Available

Barcode

10179

Genres

Publication

Candlewick (2011), Edition: 1st, 112 pages

Description

Presents a collection of poetry inspired by the history of the people in the Terezín concentration camp during the holocaust.

Original language

English

Physical description

112 p.; 8.67 inches

User reviews

LibraryThing member STBA
“Solemn songs to the memory of the people who died within the walls of Theresienstadt” is how the author describes his works of sparse, yet powerful poetry. The book includes art created in the ghetto, as well as historical notes and related resources.
LibraryThing member Sullywriter
Stunning, vivid collection of poems expressing the points of view of Jews sent to the Theresienstadt concentration camp and the Nazis who exterminated them. The poem about the crematorium is particularly chilling. The majority of voices are composites culled from Janeczko's research. An outstanding
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addition to Holocaust literature for young people.
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LibraryThing member SROgden
4Q 3P. Holocaust literature, even wonderful poems like these, is not something that everyone is interested in. This book will need pushing to gain a teen audience.

Janeczko gifts us with 35 poems told from a variety of perspectives but all illustrating one thing: the Holocaust was devastating.
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Through these poems we become a ghetto resident, a Nazi officer, a Terezín resident before the ghetto was established and hear their tales of despair, triumph, and confused displacement. This is not a book for the faint-hearted. Even in it's simple prose lurks the ability to break your heart or light the flame of hate.
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LibraryThing member vhuggins
5Q, 3P. This book was amazing in terms of writing quality, but I think that it would be a harder sell because the subject matter doesn't really connect with teens lives. If it was introduced while teens are studying WWII I can see it being of more interest. I thought that it was really good. All of
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the poems really sounded like they could have come from the people in the ghetto. It was heartbreaking but really powerful.
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LibraryThing member DanielleJones
4Q3P
This collection of vivid poetry inspired by the Terezín Concentration Camp in Czechoslovakia during the Holocaust is told in a myriad of voices and interspersed with actual art from some of its prisoners. Though the poetry is fiction, minus one poem that was found written on a wall, it
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captures the intensity and harsh realness that the prisoners face. Though Terezín was often used a ruse to show that prisoners were being treated well, this book takes us behind the scenes to true nature of the conditions.

The voices in these poems feel honest, telling, and the ages of many of them will be relatable to teens. You get voices from both sides of captor and captive, hope and resignation; and much like the drawings, there is imagery in the poems that will stay with you. I think that this would be a nice companion to Ruth Thomson’s Terezín: Voices from the Holocaust.
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LibraryThing member jzunker
5Q, 2P Vivid, moving poems from the voice of Holocaust victims at Terezin Concentration Camp in Czech Republic. Terezin was a station solely enroute to the gas chambers; few are known to have survived the camp. Janeczko's poetry is presented from various voices, young, old, wishful, bewildered,
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beaten. He gives names to his voices as well as their associated tattooed number. The poems are for adults, young and old, each will be swept up by the gravity of the horror, yet there is a softness in the writing, almost a slow movement. Truly beautiful and incredibly important.
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LibraryThing member StellaJay
A slim volume of astonishing power, Requiem's poems give impressions and ideas of the experiences of both Jewish prisoners and Nazi guards at the Terezin Ghetto, which was considered a "model" camp. A few poems from the points of view of the town's original inhabitants help flesh out the narrative
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and give a balanced feel to the work, although the emphasis is on the prisoners. Certain themes run constant throughout the volume, the most noticeable and disturbing being the idea that this camp was Hitler's "gift to the Jews." The quality of the poetry and the balance of view points is absolutely superb and this book is not only well-written and historically accurate, but also incredibly moving. Requiem will appeal to teens with special interest in the subject matter or those who are already fans of Paul Janeczko's other works.
I personally was very moved by the volume, perhaps more so than by other works with similar historical content. Janeczko's poems render the emotions of the prisoners very real and tangible to the reader, and included heartbreaking moments like the separation of a long married couple. I will admit to no particular interest in the subject matter, but the human experiences were incredibly relate-able, haunting, and emotionally painful. This is a work I will be thinking about for quite some time.
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LibraryThing member jcarroll12
Hauntingly beautiful poetry crafted by the author to represent the perspective of individuals living and working in the Terezin ghetto. As much as I have read about the Holocaust, I was totally unaware of the artistic culture occurring at Terezin and am fascinated to read more (and find out what
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else was going on that I was unaware of!). To know how the guards would allow lectures, musical performances, and plays then ship the same performers to Auschwitz the next day adds an entire new depth to their cruelty. Janeczko's poetry is outstanding and visually and emotionally stimulating; the poem about the ovens will haunt me. I also love the structure of the book - most poems are identified by a person's name and his/her registered number; the poems are interspersed with vivid illustrations and other short poems that certainly prompt solemn reflection from the reader.
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Pages

112

Rating

(14 ratings; 4.2)
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