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Edition 27 (1990) Winner
Walther Killy
ヴぁるたー・きりー
Walther Killy
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1917-08-26 （Bonn, German Empire）
- Died
- 1995-12-28 （Kampen (Sylt), Germany） age 78
- Nationality
- German
- Languages
- German
- Residence History
- Bonn → Tübingen → Berlin (Free University of Berlin) → Göttingen → Bremen → Bern (Switzerland) → Kampen (Sylt)
Career
- Occupations
- literary scholar, editor, university professor
- Active Years
- 1940-1995
- Affiliations
- Free University of Berlin, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, University of Bremen (founding rector), University of Bern, Herzog August Bibliothek (director of research program, Wolfenbüttel)
- Memberships
- Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, Braunschweigische Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft
- Influenced By
- Friedrich Hölderlin, Georg Trakl, Bertolt Brecht (early poetry)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen | — | German studies (German language and literature) | 博士（PhD） | 1945–1948 | Germany |
| Free University of Berlin | — | German studies | ハビリタション | 1948–1951 | Germany |
Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen
German studies (German language and literature)
Degree:
博士（PhD）
Period:
1945–1948
Year of Graduation:
1948
Country:
Germany
Doctoral dissertation 'Bild und Mythe in Hölderlins Gedichten' (1948).
Free University of Berlin
German studies
Degree:
ハビリタション
Period:
1948–1951
Year of Graduation:
1951
Country:
Germany
Habilitation based on textual criticism of Hölderlin's works.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Lower Saxony State Prize | — | — | State of Lower Saxony (awarding body) | 受賞 |
| 1990 | Sigmund Freud Prize (for academic prose) | — | — | Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung | 受賞 |
Lower Saxony State Prize
1983
Organization:
State of Lower Saxony (awarding body)
Result:
受賞
Sigmund Freud Prize (for academic prose)
1990
Organization:
Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Image and Myth in Hölderlin's Poems
1948 scholarly work (literary studies)Doctoral dissertation discussing image and myth in Hölderlin's poetry.
Hölderlin studiesimagery in poetrymythic elements
Transformations of the Lyrical Image
1956 literary criticismA study on the transformations of images in lyric poetry.
lyric poetryimage analysis
On Georg Trakl
1960 philology / poetry studiesA study on the poetry and life of Georg Trakl.
Trakl studiesmodernist poetry
German Kitsch: An Essay with Examples
1961 criticism / essayA critical essay examining kitsch in German culture.
cultural criticismkitsch
Elements of Lyric Poetry
1972 literary theoryAn educational work outlining the forms and elements of lyric poetry (multiple editions).
poetic formpoetics
Ways of Writing – Ways of Reading
1982 criticism / essaysA collection of essays on reading and modes of writing.
hermeneuticscritical methods
Bibliography
- Memories of France in the War Years 1942-44
- On the Later Hölderlin's View of History (1945, manuscript)
- Image and Myth in Hölderlin's Poems (1948)
- Transformations of the Lyrical Image (1956)
- On Georg Trakl (1960)
- German Kitsch: An Essay with Examples (1961)
- Elements of Lyric Poetry (1972, revised editions)
- Ways of Writing – Ways of Reading (1982)
- From Berlin to Wandsbek: Twelve Chapters of German Bourgeois Culture around 1800 (1996, posthumous)
Adaptations
- His editorial works such as the 'Literaturlexikon (known as "Der Killy")' are widely used academic reference works; there are few if any audiovisual adaptations.
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- scholarly, analytical proseclear and systematic editorial approach
- Recurring Motifs
- analysis of imagery in lyric poetrystudies on poets such as Hölderlin and Traklencyclopedic, compendious editorial perspective
Legacy
A leading figure in postwar German literary scholarship, especially on Hölderlin and Trakl. Best known as editor of reference works like the 'Literaturlexikon ("Der Killy")' and the 'Deutsche Biographische Enzyklopädie'. His private library, acquired by the University of Magdeburg, is of high scholarly value.
Museums
- Killy Library (Killy-Bibliothek) – collection at the University of Magdeburg library Library of Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg (Magdeburg, Germany) Opened in 1996
Academic Societies
- Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen
- Braunschweigische Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft
Archives
- Walther Killy collection and estate (Killy Nachlass) at the University of Magdeburg library
Trivia
- His private library contains 6,414 titles spanning 1557 to 1995.
- The encyclopedia he edited, 'Literaturlexikon', is commonly known as 'Der Killy'.