Albrecht Schöne (born 17 July 1925) is a German

Germanist German studies is the field of humanities that researches, documents and disseminates German language and literature in both its historic and present forms. Academic departments of German studies often include classes on German culture, German hi ...

. From 1960 to 1990 he was a professor of

German philology German studies is the field of humanities that researches, documents and disseminates German language and literature in both its historic and present forms. Academic departments of German studies often include classes on German culture, German hi ...

at the

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen, (german: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, known informally as Georgia Augusta) is a public research university in the city of Göttingen, Germany. Founded ...

Career

Schöne was born on 17 July 1925 in Barby an der Elbe. After graduating from secondary school he immediately performed his

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job ( volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

he was made

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...

. Schöne subsequently worked as a lumberjack until 1947. From 1947 to 1951 he studied German literature, history, philosophy, theology and psychiatry at the universities of

Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population of about 230,000 (as o ...

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

Göttingen Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the capital of the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, the population was 118,911. General information The ori ...

and

Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state di ...

. In 1952 Schöne took his Ph.D. from the University of Münster. In 1953 he took a position as research assistant at the Department of German Philology at the University of Göttingen. He performed his habilitation in 1957. In 1958 he became associate professor of modern German philology at the University of Münster. In 1960 he became full professor of German philology. He was President of the between 1980 and 1985. He held visiting professorships at universities in Israel, Japan and Poland. Schöne retired in 1990.

Research

The research of Schöne has focused on the Baroque era, the

Age of Enlightenment The Age of Enlightenment or the Enlightenment; german: Aufklärung, "Enlightenment"; it, L'Illuminismo, "Enlightenment"; pl, Oświecenie, "Enlightenment"; pt, Iluminismo, "Enlightenment"; es, La Ilustración, "Enlightenment" was an intel ...

and the 20th-century. In his work he has combined philology with theology, art history and the natural sciences. He has written with new insights on

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as t ...

and

Georg Christoph Lichtenberg Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1 July 1742 – 24 February 1799) was a German physicist, satirist, and Anglophile. As a scientist, he was the first to hold a professorship explicitly dedicated to experimental physics in Germany. He is remembered for ...

Awards and honours

Schöne became a member of the

Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities The Göttingen Academy of Sciences (german: Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen)Note that the German ''Wissenschaft'' has a wider meaning than the English "Science", and includes Social sciences and Humanities. is the second oldest of the se ...

in 1966. In 1980 he became a member of the

Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung The Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung (in English German Academy for Language and Literature) was founded on 28 August 1949, on the 200th birthday of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, in the Paulskirche in Frankfurt. It is seated in Darmstadt, ...

. He was elected a corresponding member (living abroad) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in 1982. The same year he was also appointed corresponding member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities. In 1983 Schöne won the

Johann-Heinrich-Merck-Preis Johann-Heinrich-Merck-Preis is a literary prize of Hesse awarded by the Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung since 1964. Since 2013 the prize winner receives €20,000. The award is donated by the Merck Group in memory of the German author ...

of the Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung. Schöne was elected a foreign member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1985. In 1987 he became a corresponding member of the

North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences, Humanities and the Arts The North Rhine-Westphalia Academy for Sciences and Arts (''Nordrhein-Westfälische Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Künste'') is a learned society in Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripu ...

. In 1990 Schöne received the '' Orden Pour le Mérite für Wissenschaften und Künste''. In 1991 he won the

Carl Zuckmayer Medal The Carl Zuckmayer Medal (german: Carl-Zuckmayer-Medaille) is a literary prize given by the state of Rhineland-Palatinate in memory of Carl Zuckmayer. The medal itself was fashioned by state artist Otto Kallenbach. The prize is also given with a ...

. He became an international honorary member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...

in 1992. On 24 August of the same year he was awarded the Knight Commander's Cross in the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. Schöne was awarded the

Austrian Decoration for Science and Art The Austrian Decoration for Science and Art (german: Österreichisches Ehrenzeichen für Wissenschaft und Kunst) is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria and forms part of the Austrian national honours system. History The "Austrian ...

in 1993. In 1995 he was awarded the of the city of

Pforzheim Pforzheim () is a city of over 125,000 inhabitants in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, in the southwest of Germany. It is known for its jewelry and watch-making industry, and as such has gained the nickname "Goldstadt" ("Golden City") ...

. In 2015 he received the . He became an honorary member of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities in 2016. Schöne won the 2017 Einhard-Preis.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schone, Albrecht 1925 births Living people Corresponding Members of the Austrian Academy of Sciences Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Germanists Germanic studies scholars Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Members of the German Academy for Language and Literature Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences People from Barby, Germany Recipients of the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class) University of Göttingen faculty University of Münster alumni University of Münster faculty German prisoners of war in World War II