George Avery (Germanist)
George Avery (born July 27, 1927 in Philadelphia , † March 5, 2004 in Chester , Pennsylvania ) was an American German studies scholar . Until his retirement in 1994 he taught at Swarthmore College . His research interests were writers of German modernism.
Life
After a childhood among Greek immigrants in Philadelphia, he did military service in Germany during World War II . Through this experience he came into contact with German culture in the last months of the war and later decided to become a Germanist. After the end of the war, he was initially involved in relief operations for Finland and Greece. After returning to his home country, he enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania and completed all degrees there up to a doctorate.
In 1959 he came to the elite Swarthmore College and stayed at the teaching establishment there until his retirement. From 1975 to 1980 he was head of the Department of Modern Languages . His student Jonathan Franzen describes Avery's amiable, if eccentric, pedagogical appearance in his memoir.
research
Avery made himself a specialist in 20th century German literature, be it German, Swiss or Austrian. He wrote scientific monographs or editions on the work of Robert Walser , Herwarth Walden and Karl Kraus . Avery received international awards, especially for its Walser research.
Fonts
- Enemies in droves: a real pleasure to be around. Karl Kraus, Herwarth Walden Correspondence 1909–1912 (publications by the German Academy for Language and Poetry Darmstadt 79, Göttingen 2002).
- Inquiry and Testament. A Study of the Novels and Short Prose of Robert Walser (Philadelphia 1968).
- A Poet Beyond the Pale. Some Notes on the Shorter Works of Robert Walser (see left 1963).
Web links
- Literature by and about George Avery in the catalog of the German National Library
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jonathan Franzen: The Discomfort Zone. New York 2006, pp. 129-146.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Avery, George |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Avery, George C. |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American German studies specialist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 27, 1927 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Philadelphia |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 5, 2004 |
| Place of death | Chester , Pennsylvania |