George Avery (July 27, 1926 – March 5, 2004) was an American 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 ...

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the earliest coeduca ...

Life

After growing up in the Greek immigrant community of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, he served in Germany as a soldier 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 opposin ...

. His experience in Germany led to his deep interest in German culture. Immediately after the war, he participated in humanitarian efforts in Finland and Greece. After returning to the United States, he studied German at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

. He obtained his B.A. and M.A. there, as well as his Ph.D. After a temporary teaching engagement at

St. Joseph's University Saint Joseph's University (SJU or St. Joe's) is a private Jesuit university in Philadelphia and Lower Merion, Pennsylvania. The university was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1851 as Saint Joseph's College. Saint Joseph's is the seventh olde ...

, he was hired by Swarthmore in 1959 and taught there until his retirement. He served as Chair of the Department of Modern Languages from 1975 to 1980. His student

Jonathan Franzen Jonathan Earl Franzen (born August 17, 1959) is an American novelist and essayist. His 2001 novel ''The Corrections'', a sprawling, satirical family drama, drew widespread critical acclaim, earned Franzen a National Book Award, was a Pulitzer Pr ...

portrayed Avery's endearing, if eccentric, manner of teaching in his memoirs.

Research

Avery specialized in German literature of the twentieth century, be it German, Swiss, or Austrian in origin. He published monographs and scholarly editions on the work of Robert Walser, Herwarth Walden and Karl Kraus. Avery received international recognition for his "pioneering study" on Walser. Andreas Kramer noted Avery's "meticulous notes and his commented index" regarding the correspondence between Karl Kraus and Herwath Walden, concluding that "Avery's edition ..substantially contributes to our understanding of the wider cultural and social context of the German and Austrian avant-garde before 1914."

Books

* ''Feinde in Scharen: Ein wahres Vergnügen dazusein. Karl Kraus, Herwarth Walden Briefwechsel 1909–1912'' (Veröffentlichungen der Deutschen Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung 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'' (s. l. 1963).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Avery, George 1926 births American people of Greek descent University of Pennsylvania School of Arts and Sciences alumni Swarthmore College faculty Swarthmore College Department of German faculty American academics of German literature Saint Joseph's University faculty 2004 deaths