Kaca Celan
Encyclopedia
Kaca Celan is a renowned and award-winning writer, director, theater and acting expert, professor
and actress. She is internationally known for being awarded the first prize for the best German-language play from the Theatergemeinde Deutschland (German Theater Community) for her play Heimatbuch among other awards.
, which influenced and shaped her early childhood. She graduated from the scientific high school and its rigorous classical curriculum with straight A's as best student of her generation. After finishing her high school education, she chose the city of Sarajevo
as her “home of choice”. Her studies in the Olympic metropolis included comparative literature
, theater studies, and acting at the University of Philosophy in Sarajevo
(Bosnia and Herzegovina
). Following her studies, she founded the theater Teatar Amfiteatar, which she ran for seven years. Celan has also worked as a directing professor at the Academy for Scenic Arts, Sarajevo
. Her awards have included Best Young Actress in Bosnia and Herzegovina
, the Yugoslavian award for Avant-garde
Arts, and Best Director award at the Avant-garde
Theater Festival in Montenegro
. She has been the production director of the International Theater Festival in Kotor
, Montenegro
. As a theater academic she held fellowships in Moscow
and Vienna
.
, Celan moved to Ljubljana
, Slovenia
, where she worked as a writer and director for a year. With a fellowship from the German cultural department and the Heinrich Böll Foundation
in hand, she moved to Germany
in 1993. In the Böll-House she founded the theater, Theater TAS in Exile, and during its first project, Project 3, she toured well-known German theaters such as the Munich Kammerspiele
and Hamburg
’s Thalia Theater
. In 1999 she founded her acting school, the Celan Theater School at Burgau Castle ([Schloss Burgau]), where her theater was based as well. In 1995 Celan won the first prize for the best German-language play from the Theatergemeinde Deutschland (the German Theater Authority) for her play Heimatbuch. That was followed by the International Award, Kristal Vilenice, for poetry in 1996. The next year the Cultural Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia
awarded her the prestigious prize in theater literature.
with the performance and installation Yard Sale: New Footfalls... as its first production, presented by the arts organization chashama
. She is a member of PEN American Center
.
, William Shakespeare
, Edward Albee
, Franz Kafka
, Sophocles
, and Samuel Beckett
, in her theater. Her works have been published in English, German and Serbo-Croatian. Celan has translated texts written by Sylvia Plath
, Leonid Andreyev
and Isak Samokovlija
among others.
. She was quoted saying she belongs to the "church which worships Shakespeare
as a literary God."
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
and actress. She is internationally known for being awarded the first prize for the best German-language play from the Theatergemeinde Deutschland (German Theater Community) for her play Heimatbuch among other awards.
Childhood and Sarajevo years
Celan grew up in an area dominated by five cultures and languages: Hungarian, German, Serbian, Czech and Ukrainian. It was the multicultural and multifaceted region of VojvodinaVojvodina
Vojvodina, officially called Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province of Serbia. Its capital and largest city is Novi Sad...
, which influenced and shaped her early childhood. She graduated from the scientific high school and its rigorous classical curriculum with straight A's as best student of her generation. After finishing her high school education, she chose the city of Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
as her “home of choice”. Her studies in the Olympic metropolis included comparative literature
Comparative literature
Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the literature of two or more different linguistic, cultural or national groups...
, theater studies, and acting at the University of Philosophy in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
(Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
). Following her studies, she founded the theater Teatar Amfiteatar, which she ran for seven years. Celan has also worked as a directing professor at the Academy for Scenic Arts, Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
. Her awards have included Best Young Actress in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
, the Yugoslavian award for Avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
Arts, and Best Director award at the Avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
Theater Festival in Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
. She has been the production director of the International Theater Festival in Kotor
Kotor
Kotor is a coastal city in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Gulf of Kotor. The city has a population of 13,510 and is the administrative center of the municipality....
, Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
. As a theater academic she held fellowships in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
.
Slovenia and Germany
Prior to the occupation of SarajevoSarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
, Celan moved to Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
, Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, where she worked as a writer and director for a year. With a fellowship from the German cultural department and the Heinrich Böll Foundation
Heinrich Böll Foundation
The Heinrich Böll Foundation is a German, legally independent political foundation. Affiliated with the German Green Party, it was originally founded in 1987 and rebuilt in 1997...
in hand, she moved to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1993. In the Böll-House she founded the theater, Theater TAS in Exile, and during its first project, Project 3, she toured well-known German theaters such as the Munich Kammerspiele
Munich Kammerspiele
The Munich Kammerspiele is a successful German language theatre in Munich. The Schauspielhaus in the Maximilianstrasse is the major stage.-History:...
and Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
’s Thalia Theater
Thalia Theater (Hamburg)
The Thalia Theater is one of the three state-owned theatres in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded in 1843 by Charles Maurice Schwartzenberger and named after the muse Thalia...
. In 1999 she founded her acting school, the Celan Theater School at Burgau Castle ([Schloss Burgau]), where her theater was based as well. In 1995 Celan won the first prize for the best German-language play from the Theatergemeinde Deutschland (the German Theater Authority) for her play Heimatbuch. That was followed by the International Award, Kristal Vilenice, for poetry in 1996. The next year the Cultural Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
awarded her the prestigious prize in theater literature.
New York
In 2008 Celan re-established Theater TAS in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with the performance and installation Yard Sale: New Footfalls... as its first production, presented by the arts organization chashama
Chashama
Chashama is a non-profit organization that supports thriving cultural communities by transforming temporarily vacant properties into spaces where art can flourish...
. She is a member of PEN American Center
PEN American Center
PEN American Center , founded in 1922 and based in New York City, works to advance literature, to defend free expression, and to foster international literary fellowship. The Center has a membership of 3,300 writers, editors, and translators...
.
Her works
Celan’s plays have been performed on the German radio and in theaters. In addition to her own plays, such as The Last Story, Woyzeck From Sarajevo (both translated into English) and Struwwelpit & Co., she has directed twenty plays by classical authors, including Anton ChekhovAnton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
, William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
, Edward Albee
Edward Albee
Edward Franklin Albee III is an American playwright who is best known for The Zoo Story , The Sandbox , Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? , and a rewrite of the screenplay for the unsuccessful musical version of Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's . His works are considered well-crafted, often...
, Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka was a culturally influential German-language author of short stories and novels. Contemporary critics and academics, including Vladimir Nabokov, regard Kafka as one of the best writers of the 20th century...
, Sophocles
Sophocles
Sophocles is one of three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays have survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus, and earlier than or contemporary with those of Euripides...
, and Samuel Beckett
Samuel Beckett
Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, theatre director, and poet. He wrote both in English and French. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black comedy and gallows humour.Beckett is widely regarded as among the most...
, in her theater. Her works have been published in English, German and Serbo-Croatian. Celan has translated texts written by Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath was an American poet, novelist and short story writer. Born in Massachusetts, she studied at Smith College and Newnham College, Cambridge before receiving acclaim as a professional poet and writer...
, Leonid Andreyev
Leonid Andreyev
Leonid Nikolaievich Andreyev was a Russian playwright, novelist and short-story writer. He is one of the most talented and prolific representatives of the Silver Age period in Russian history...
and Isak Samokovlija
Isak Samokovlija
Isak Samokovlija was a Bosnian-Herzegovinian writer, born in a Jewish Sephardic family. By profession he was a physician...
among others.
Drama
- The Death of Omer & Merima
- The Royal Marine
- The King’s Murderers
- Heimatbuch (Home Book)
- Commedia Goldoniana
- The Last Story (translated into English)
- Chekhov
- Woyzeck From Sarajevo (translated into English)
- Felix
- Cabaret International
- The Struwwelpit & Co. (in collaboration with Maria Fuß)
- Picollo Fratello Francesco
Awards
- Best Young Actress in Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
- Yugoslavian Award for Avant-gardeAvant-gardeAvant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
Arts - Best Director Award at the Avant-gardeAvant-gardeAvant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
Theater Festival in MontenegroMontenegroMontenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the... - Dramatist Award of the Theatergemeinden (Theater Authorities) for the best German-language play for her play Heimatbuch (Homeland Book), 1995
- Kristal Vilenice, International Literature Award for Poetry, for her book Me and You – Book of Love Poetry, 1996
- Artist Award of the Cultural Minister of the State of North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
(NRW) in the field of Theater Literature, 1997
Personal life
Celan is married to journalist Senad Tanovic and resides in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She was quoted saying she belongs to the "church which worships Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
as a literary God."
External links
- Theater TAS Official Website
- Theater TAS Germany
- Artist Award of the Cultural Minister of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW)
- PEN American Center – Yard Sale: New Footfalls...
- chashama – Yard Sale: New Footfalls...
- offoffonline – Yard Sale: New Footfalls...
- Rhizome Artist Profile
- Theater TAS on Vimeo