'Ein Strudel der Selbstauflösung': The Contested Role of Form in Poetry from the Concentration Camps.

This article examines the use and significance of traditional poetic forms in German-language Holocaust poetry composed within concentration camps, focusing on three poems by Alfred Kittner, Fritz Löhner-Beda, and Heinrich Steinitz. Contrary to prevailing critical views that dismiss such poetry for formal conservatism and lack of innovation, the analysis argues that conventional structures like the ballad and sonnet provided psychological stability, facilitated communication, and enabled inmates to bear witness to their experiences amid extremity. The article highlights how these forms actively interact with harrowing content to reflect the coexistence and disjunction of everyday life and extreme suffering in the camps, challenging assumptions that fragmentation or formal rupture are necessary for representing trauma. It further situates camp poetry within literary traditions and stresses the importance of differentiating between poetry written during imprisonment and post-war Holocaust literature.