Demery for Mascha Kaléko: poet between love and exile

Demery for Mascha Kaléko: poet between love and exile

Spandau, Deutschland - on June 3, 2025, just a few weeks before Mascha Kaléko's 50th anniversary, one of the most important poets of the 20th century, the Spandau city library deals with its artistic heritage. On June 17, 2025, a lyrical-musical reading will take place in which Rosa and Jonathan Tennenbaum give expression in the reading cafés of the district central library Spandau.

Mascha Kaléko, born in 1907 in West Galizia and grew up as a Jew in Vienna Society, moved to Germany with her family as a result of the First World War. She showed a talent for writing early on and became part of the artistic life in Berlin. Her first great literary success came in 1933 with the work "The Lyrical Stenogram book", which represents its breakthrough and is a pioneering example of the new objectivity, in a row with writers such as Kurt Tucholsky and Erich Kästner. Her poems often describe the everyday life of the little people and combine tender-ironic tones with melancholy and wit.

emigration and exile

The situation for Jewish people in Germany worsened dramatically, and in 1935 Kaléko's works were banned by the National Socialists. Shortly before the Reichspogromnacht in 1938, she emigrated to the USA with her second husband, Chemjo Vinaver, and her little son Steven. There she found herself in a new reality that influenced her identity and letter. In New York she had difficulty tying her old successes, but in 1945 she was able to publish her poetry collection "Verses for Contemporaries".

Kaléko's poetry addresses the painful experiences of exile and homesickness to Berlin, which they could never completely overcome in their later life, including their time in Israel and Switzerland. Your patient search for belonging is reflected in your works, in addition to concrete topics, also raise universal questions about identity and loss.

The reading in Spandau

At the reading on June 17th, Rosa Tennenbaum will present poems from Kaléko, while Jonathan Tennenbaum plays piano works by composers such as Max Reger, Camille Saint-Saens, Scott Joplin and Paul Desmond. Admission is free, but registration is required because the space capacity is limited. Interested parties can register at events@ba-spandau.berlin.de or by phone at (030) 90279-5511.

Mascha Kaléko left a significant poetic heritage that is deeply rooted in the subjects of Jewish identity, exile, loss and belonging. Her work remains relevant today and offers valuable insights into life and the emotions of a talented poet who tried to find her place in a changing world. The reading on June 17th is a wonderful opportunity to commemorate its artistic herit

For more information on Kaléko's life and work, we refer to berlin.de, We Refugees Archive and reading.