MASCHA KALÉKO – THE NIGHTINGALE IN MY GARDEN IS SILENT…

The Jewish poet from Chrzanów (now in Poland), who moved to Germany at the age of 7, observed people and gave voice to their longings. Kaléko’s poetry deals with everyday situations that everyone can relate to: love and separation, hope and loneliness.

The “poet of everyday life” published her first poems at age 22 and captured the hearts of Berlin’s urbanites during the Weimar Republic. Her verses are melancholic yet witty, with a dash of irony, and feature a timeless blend of charm and social criticism. Kaléko captures the spirit of her time. She meets Tucholsky and Claire Waldoff, and is compared to Ringelnatz and Heine, among others.

During the Nazi era, Kaléko’s works were banned; the poet emigrated with her husband and child to America, where years of poverty and isolation followed. She spent the last 15 years of her life in Israel; in 1974, she visited Berlin for the last time.

This musical production is a tribute to an extraordinary woman whose poetry has lost none of its relevance.

“I will be silent, but my song goes on.” (Mascha Kaléko)