MASCHA KALÉKO was born in 1907 in Schidlow (now Chrzanów in Poland). She moved with her family to the west and settled in Berlin in 1918 where she finished school and worked as a secretary. She started writing poetry and her work was published regularly with much success in newspapers and magazines from 1929 onwards. Her first book appeared in 1933 and another followed in early 1935 before her writings were banned under Nazism. She emigrated to the U.S. with her husband and son in 1938. The family lived in New York City for 20 years until they emigrated to Israel in 1959. After the deaths of her son and her husband, the lonely poet considered returning to Germany, but she herself was too ill and died in 1975 in Zurich while traveling back to Jerusalem from a visit to Berlin.

From Mascha Kaléko: Sämtliche Werke und Briefe in vier Bänden
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