Flight and Metamorphosis at The Jewish Theatre

20 August 2010

Flight and Metamorphosis
Poet and Nobel Laureate Nelly Sachs' life presented in a staged exhibition a The Jewish Theatre between 2 October and 20 November.

”I would like you to make a journey of discovery in language, and for you to reflect on the power of language and its significance for democracy.”

Pia Forsgren, theatre manager and artistic director, the Jewish Theatre

The exhibition within which the production takes place is curated by author Aris Fioretos in collaboration with gewerk design, Berlin. It was inaugurated at the Jewish Museum in Berlin this spring and will tour Europe over two years.

Nelly Sachs (1891-1970) grew up in Berlin where she lived until the age of 49. The Nazi takeover forced her to flee her native country, managing to get on the last plane to Stockholm. Nelly Sachs’ poetic language found its voice during her exile from the Holocaust and in 1966 she was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature.

Kung Gustaf VI Adolf congratulating Nobel Laureate Nelly Sachs, 1966
(Photo: Kungliga biblioteket, Stockholm)

The Jewish Theatre will run a programme cooperating with secondary and upper secondary schools. This project involves thousands of pupils who will be making a linguistic journey, inviting them to reflect on language, identity and exile. The aim is also to stimulate and encourage young people to explore their own writing ambitions.

Flight and Metamorphosis at the Jewish Theatre
Photo: Olle Kirchmeier

A series of seminars will also be held on Nelly Sachs’ work and life, featuring renowned Swedish and international poets, authors and lecturers.

In connection with the opening of the exhibition, Ersatz publishing will release Aris Fioretos’ pictorial biography of Nelly Sachs along with previously unpublished texts by Nelly Sachs, translated by Margaretha Holmqvist.

Flight and Metamorphosis at The Jewish Theatre in Stockholm is a collaboration between The Jewish Theatre Stockholm, gewerk design, the Jewish Museum Berlin, the National Library of Sweden, the Swedish Embassy in Berlin and Suhrkamp Publishers.

Read more:
Proventus' engagement in The Jewish Theatre
Flight and Metamorphosis at The Jewish Theatre
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