Michael Hamburger (1924–2007) was a poet and critic of distinction as well as the outstanding translator of German poetry. His awards include the Schlegel-Tieck Prize (1981), the German Federal Republic’s Goethe Medal (1986) and the EC’s first European Translation Prize (1990) for Poems of Paul Celan. Five collections of his poetry appeared since Collected Poems 1941–1994. He also published several collections of essays, the critical study The Truth of Poetry, and an autobiography String of Beginnings. His translations include selections from Celan, Eich, Goethe, Hofmannsthal, Hölderlin, Peter Huchel, Rilke and others.