Nelly Sachs

Nelly Sachs (German: [ˈnɛli ˈzaks] ; 10 December 1891 – 12 May 1970) was a German–Swedish poet and playwright. Her experiences resulting from the rise of the Nazis in World War II Europe transformed her into a poignant spokesperson for the grief and yearnings of her fellow Jews. Her best-known play is Eli: Ein Mysterienspiel vom Leiden Israels (1950) (lit: Eli: A Mystery Play of Israel's Suffering); other works include the poems "Zeichen im Sand" (1962), "Verzauberung" (1970), and the collections of poetry In den Wohnungen des Todes (1947), Flucht und Verwandlung (1959), Fahrt ins Staublose (1961), and Suche nach Lebenden (1971). In 1966, she shared the Nobel Prize in Literature with the novelist, poet, and short-story writer Shmuel Yosef Agnon.