August Max Closs (9 August 1898 – 21 June 1990) was a professor of
German studies
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 ...
. Born in Austria, he studied German and English language and literature, and in 1929 moved to London. There he taught at
University College
In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...
, and became friends with the German scholar
Robert Priebsch, whose daughter
Hannah he married. In 1931 he began teaching at the
University of Bristol
, mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'')
, established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter
, type ...
, where he stayed until his retirement in 1964. He was a prolific author on and editor and anthologizer of German poetry. In addition, he was a dedicated collector of manuscripts and books; part of his collection was sold to
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
, and the rest forms the Priebsch-Closs Collection
Institute of Germanic and Romance Studies
The Institute of Modern Languages Research is a research institution associated with the University of London. A constituent institute of the School of Advanced Study based on the second floor of the Senate House, the Institute of Modern Langua ...
. He is remembered also for his efforts to bring about German-English reconciliation after the Second World War, especially between the cities of
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
and
Hannover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German States of Germany, state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germa ...
.
Biography
Closs was born in
Neumarkt in Steiermark
Neumarkt in der Steiermark is a municipality in the district of Murau in Styria, Austria.
International relations
Twin towns – Sister cities
Neumarkt is twinned with:
* Monfalcone
Monfalcone (; Bisiacco: ; fur, Monfalcon; sl, Tržič; ...
, Austria, the child of a law official, Alois Closs, and his wife, Rosa (born Halm). From 1906 to 1916 he attended the
Fürstbischöfliches Gymnasium in
Graz
Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...
, then served in the Austrian army. The Italians imprisoned him in 1918, and upon his release, in 1919, he enrolled at the
University of Graz
The University of Graz (german: link=no, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, ), located in Graz, Austria, is the largest and oldest university in Styria, as well as the second-largest and second-oldest university in Austria.
History
The unive ...
where he studied German and English and received his doctorate with a thesis on
Arno Holz
Arno Holz (26 April 1863 – October 1929) was a German naturalist poet and dramatist. He is best known for his poetry collection ''Phantasus'' (1898). He was nominated for a Nobel prize in literature nine times.
Life and Works
Holz was born i ...
, directed by
Bernhard Seuffert. At the
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich histor ...
he got a teaching qualification in 1924, then taught school.
He moved to England in 1929 and lectured at the
University of Sheffield
, mottoeng = To discover the causes of things
, established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions:
– Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield
, type = Pu ...
before he moved to London and taught at
University College London
, mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £143 million (2020)
, budget = ...
. There he met
Robert Priebsch, a German professor (author of ''Handschriften in England'', Erlangen 1896-1901), whose daughter
Hannah he married in 1931. They had one daughter, Elizabeth Closs Traugott, who was a professor of linguistics and English at
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
, from 1970 to 2003. Closs admired Priebsch greatly, and edited of some of his unpublished work, including ''Letter from Heaven'' (1936) and ''Christi Leiden in einer Vision geschaut'' (1936),
[ as well as his correspondence with the linguist Elias von Steinmeyer.]
That same year, 1931, Closs moved his family to Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, where he began a long career at the University of Bristol
, mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'')
, established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter
, type ...
. He was hired as a lecturer and head of the German department, was promoted to reader in 1936, and professor in 1948; he retired in 1964. By that time he had been visiting professor all over Europe and the US and Canada, and had advised Jawaharlal Nehru
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat—
*
*
*
* and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...
on reforming universities in India.[
Closs published monographs, edited anthologies of German literature, and wrote many articles and reviews. He was both praised and criticized for an idiosyncrasy considered unorthodox, belonging to a different age; a reviewer of the second edition of his ''The Genius of the German Lyric'' (the fact that a book of literary criticism appeared in a second edition is remarked as notable) criticizes the book for historical confusion and easy generalities, but remarks, "Of course it would be wrong to ignore the very positive aspects of this book. It stands in a tradition of writing which has by now largely died out, being a highly subjective, idiosyncratic study, the product of a civilized outlook, wide reading and a real love of the subject. As such it inevitably demands to be judged by standards other than those of orthodox present-day academic scholarship".]
The ''Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
'' describes him thusly:
:A gracious, charming man in an old-fashioned Austrian manner, he seemed in later life almost the archetypal professor of popular imagination, with straggly white hair, wayward handwriting, and an infectious enthusiasm for anything that caught his attention. Like Goethe he believed that literature could have an effect on individuals and mould them into world citizens. As a teacher he had a rare ability to bring poetry alive, and published on it prolifically.[
After World War II, Closs played an important part in the reestablishment of cultural relations between Germany and England, especially between the war-damaged cities of Bristol and ]Hannover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German States of Germany, state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germa ...
. He led an "expedition" of five men representing educational, governmental, and commercial organizations from Bristol on a visit to Hannover to investigate possible aid projects. In the end, a committee was formed to "support and develop contacts" with Hannover in various areas, efforts for which Cross was rewarded in 1987 with honorary citizenship of the city of Hannover. He died of heart failure in hospital in Bristol on 21 June 1990. His memorial service, on 2 November 1990 at St Mary Redcliffe
St Mary Redcliffe is an Anglican parish church located in the Redcliffe district of Bristol, England. The church is a short walk from Bristol Temple Meads station. The church building was constructed from the 12th to the 15th centuries, and it ...
, was described as "magnificent...framed with the music of Mozart", with the burgomaster
Burgomaster (alternatively spelled burgermeister, literally "master of the town, master of the borough, master of the fortress, master of the citizens") is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief m ...
of Hannover as one of the participants.[
]
Books
From his father-in-law Closs and his wife inherited an extensive collection of manuscripts[ that he augmented significantly.][ He sold 273 16th-century books to ]Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
in 1969.[ The 2300 volumes of his 17th to 19th-century books comprise the Priebsch-Closs collection of the ]Institute of Germanic and Romance Studies
The Institute of Modern Languages Research is a research institution associated with the University of London. A constituent institute of the School of Advanced Study based on the second floor of the Senate House, the Institute of Modern Langua ...
in London, and after his death the rest of his collection, including 20th-century first editions, manuscripts, and correspondences were donated to the Institute.
Awards
*Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...
, grand cross
*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 D ...
*Honorary doctorate, Leibniz University Hannover
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz University Hannover (german: Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität), also known as the University of Hannover, is a public research university located in Hanover, Germany. Founded on 2 May 1831 as Higher Vocational Sc ...
*Honorary doctorate, University of Bristol
, mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'')
, established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter
, type ...
[
]
Bibliography
*''The Genius of the German Lyric: An Historical Survey of Its Formal and Metaphysical Values'' (1938, rev. 1962[)
*''Tristan and Isolt'' (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1944)
*''Die freien Rhythmen in der deutschen Lyrik'' (1947), dedicated to Priebsch][
*''Die neuere deutsche Lyrik vom Barock bis zur Gegenwart'' (Berlin: Erich Schmidt, 1952)
*''Medusa's Mirror: Studies in German Literature'' (London: Cresset, 1957), a collection of essays dedicated to his wife][
*''Reality and Creative Vision in German Lyric Poetry'' (London: Butterworth, 1963), edited collection
*''German Literature'' series, editor:
**''German Literature in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries''
**''Twentieth-century German Literature'' (London: Cresset, 1969; New York: Barnes and Noble, 1969)
*''Robert Priebsch-Elias von Steinmeyer: Briefwechsel. Ausgewahlt und herausgegeben von August Closs'' (Berlin: Erich Schmidt, 1979)]
References
External links
Priebsch-Closs collection
at MASC25
{{DEFAULTSORT:Closs, August
1898 births
1990 deaths
Academics of University College London
Academics of the University of Sheffield
Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
German book and manuscript collectors
German scholars
German literary theorists
University of Graz alumni
University of Vienna alumni