Prof. Vondung from University of Siegen Delivered a Lecture in IGS
On the afternoon of October 9, Prof. Klaus Vondung, the famous Germanic scholar from University of Siegen, visited SIS at the invitation of the Institute of German Studies (IGS). He gave a lecture named "Gunter Glass--The Controversial Winner of Nobel Prize in Literature". Hosted by Prof. FAN Jieping, the head of IGS, the lecture appealed to the teachers of IGS, German-major students, and German students who major in Sinology.
Günter Grass is praised as the most famous living author in Germany. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1999. In accordance with the publication time of his works, Prof. Vondung made a detailed introduction. He also read the excellent passages of The Tin Drum (DieBlechtrommel) and The Rat (Die Rättin), which are the most famous novels of Grass, with beautiful voice and deep affection. The audience were really attracted and impressed. Through the introduction of Grass’s memoir Peeling the Onion (BeimHäuten der Zwiebel), Prof. Vondung unveiled the other side of Grass – the active performance on the political stage and the political stain left in his childhood. Just as Prof. Vondung said, although Grass generated a lot of controversy due to the lengthiness of his works, his pivotal role in German authors is undeniable.
During the lecture, both students and teachers asked questions actively and then Prof. Vondung made detailed explanations on these questions about Günter Grass.
Prof. Vondung is the student of the famous political philosopher Eric Vögelin. He is the pioneer of German Enlightenment Theory research and is quite accomplished in the intersectional field of religion, literature and politics. In addition, he is the person in charge of the research group of “the core problem of the contemporary humanities” which is hold by Volkswagen Foundation. Since he was invited to be a Visiting Professor in 2007, Prof. Vondung has visited Zhejiang University and given reports and lectures for many times. It was the second time that he was invited to give a lecture in IGS.
(Translated by GAO Lin)
