Karl Heinz Bohrer (26 September 1932 – 4 August 2021) was a German literary scholar and essayist. He worked as chief editor for literature of the daily ''
FAZ'', and became co-publisher and author of the cultural magazine ''
Merkur
Merkur (, '' Mercury'') is a defunct automobile brand that was marketed by the Lincoln- Mercury division of Ford Motor Company from 1985 to 1989. Drawing its name from the German word for Mercury, Merkur was targeted at buyers of European execut ...
''. He taught at the
Bielefeld University
Bielefeld University (german: Universität Bielefeld) is a university in Bielefeld, Germany. Founded in 1969, it is one of the country's newer universities, and considers itself a "reform" university, following a different style of organization a ...
for decades, and also 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 ...
, California. His autobiography appeared in two volumes in 2012 and 2017. Bohrer is regarded as a disputative intellectual thinker and critic, reflecting his time. He received notable awards for criticism, German language and literature, including the
Johann Heinrich Merck Prize and the
Heinrich Mann Prize
The Heinrich Mann Prize () is an essay prize that has been awarded since 1953, first by the East German Academy of Arts, then by the Academy of Arts, Berlin. The prize, which comes with a €10,000 purse, is given annually on 27 March, Heinrich Ma ...
. For his extensive work, Bohrer was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit with Ribbon (2014).
Life and work
Bohrer was born in
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
in 1932,
Rhineland
The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section.
Term
Historically, the Rhinelands ...
,
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. He received a doctorate from the
University of Heidelberg
}
Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...
in 1962 with a dissertation about the
philosophy of history
Philosophy of history is the philosophical study of history and its discipline. The term was coined by French philosopher Voltaire.
In contemporary philosophy a distinction has developed between ''speculative'' philosophy of history and ''crit ...
of the German
Romantics
Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...
.
He wrote his habilitation at the
Bielefeld University
Bielefeld University (german: Universität Bielefeld) is a university in Bielefeld, Germany. Founded in 1969, it is one of the country's newer universities, and considers itself a "reform" university, following a different style of organization a ...
, ''Die Ästhetik des Schreckens – Die pessimistische Romantik und Ernst Jüngers Frühwerk'' (The Aesthetics of Terror – The Pessimistic Romantics and
Ernst Jünger
Ernst Jünger (; 29 March 1895 – 17 February 1998) was a German author, highly decorated soldier, philosopher, and entomologist who became publicly known for his World War I memoir '' Storm of Steel''.
The son of a successful businessman and ...
's Early Work).
He wrote cultural reports and literary essays for broadcasters, and joined the culture section of the daily ''
Die Welt
''Die Welt'' ("The World") is a German national daily newspaper, published as a broadsheet by Axel Springer SE.
''Die Welt'' is the flagship newspaper of the Axel Springer publishing group. Its leading competitors are the ''Frankfurter Allg ...
'' in Hamburg in 1962.
Bohrer moved on to the ''
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
The ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung'' (; ''FAZ''; "''Frankfurt General Newspaper''") is a centre-right conservative-liberal and liberal-conservativeHans Magnus Enzensberger: Alter Wein in neuen Schläuchen' (in German). ''Deutschland Radio'', ...
'' (FAZ) in Frankfurt in 1966,
where he became chief editor for literature from 1968.
After he was succeeded in the post by
Marcel Reich-Ranicki
Marcel Reich-Ranicki (; 2 June 1920 – 18 September 2013) was a Polish-born German literary critic and member of the informal literary association Gruppe 47. He was regarded as one of the most influential contemporary literary critics in the fi ...
in 1974,
the paper sent him as
correspondent
A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is usually a journalist or commentator for a magazine, or an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, locati ...
to London.
Bohrer was appointed to the chair for Modern German Literary History at Bielefeld University in 1982, and held the position until emerited in 1997.
He was called to teach 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 ...
, California, in 2003.
Bohrer succeeded in 1984 as editor of the culture magazine ''
Merkur
Merkur (, '' Mercury'') is a defunct automobile brand that was marketed by the Lincoln- Mercury division of Ford Motor Company from 1985 to 1989. Drawing its name from the German word for Mercury, Merkur was targeted at buyers of European execut ...
'', along with from 1991. He was a thought-provoking writer in the journal (subtitle ''Deutsche Zeitschrift für europäisches Denken'': German journal for European thought), writing for example a satirical "''Die Ästhetik des Staates''" in 1984, beginning a series about the "Bonn Republic" under Chancellor
Helmut Kohl
Helmut Josef Michael Kohl (; 3 April 1930 – 16 June 2017) was a German politician who served as Chancellor of Germany from 1982 to 1998 and Leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 1973 to 1998. Kohl's 16-year tenure is the longes ...
.
He received the award ''Deutscher Sprachpreis'' (German language prize) in 2002 mainly for his then 18 years as publisher of the journal, the reasoning being that he had made it a respected forum for all questions of intellectual and social life, by his sense of good language, the basis of its success. His sceptical-provocative opinions on the post-war state of mind, reflecting a European perspective, were noted.
Bohrer died in London at age 88.
Publications
Most of Bohrer's publications were (collections of) essays. He also published an autobiography in two volumes, the first in 2012, (Shrapnel), covering his youth, including World War II and post-war life in ruins, and the second in 2017, (Now. Story of my adventure with fantasy), about his life from the early 1960s to the time of writing.
* ''The Lost Paradigm: Frederick II, Prussia, and July 20th''
''Telos''135 (Summer 2006). New York: Telos Press
Awards
* 1978
Johann Heinrich Merck Prize
* 2000
* 2002 of the
University of Heidelberg
}
Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...
* 2002
* 2005
* 2007
Heinrich Mann Prize
The Heinrich Mann Prize () is an essay prize that has been awarded since 1953, first by the East German Academy of Arts, then by the Academy of Arts, Berlin. The prize, which comes with a €10,000 purse, is given annually on 27 March, Heinrich Ma ...
References
External links
Literature by and on Karl Heinz Bohrerin the Catalog of the
German National Library
The German National Library (DNB; german: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek) is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany. It is one of the largest libraries in the world. Its task is to colle ...
"Kein Abschied"(in German) ''Bielefelder Universitätszeitung'',
Bielefeld University
Bielefeld University (german: Universität Bielefeld) is a university in Bielefeld, Germany. Founded in 1969, it is one of the country's newer universities, and considers itself a "reform" university, following a different style of organization a ...
, No. 190, 31. October 1997
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bohrer, Karl Heinz
1932 births
2021 deaths
People from Cologne
German essayists
German male journalists
German journalists
German newspaper journalists
20th-century German journalists
21st-century German journalists
Heinrich Mann Prize winners
Bielefeld University alumni
German male writers
German male essayists
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung people