Testimonials:
What the 2016 participants said about the Notre Dame Berlin Seminar:
Esther K. Bauer
Associate Professor of German and German Program Director, Virginia Tech |
"During the Notre Dame Berlin Seminar on the German Literaturbetrieb I learned a tremendous amount about a side of literature that for U.S.-based scholars of German literature and culture usually plays at best a secondary role: the creation, dissemination, and professional reception of texts that scholars analyze and the market conditions driving decisions made by writers, editors, publishers, designers, agents, awards committees, and reviewers...
We had the opportunity to hear from and discuss their works with an exceptional line-up of guest speakers whom we would otherwise not have met in person...
I felt part of an intellectual community where all just cared about deeper understanding – the kind of community that all too often is lost in everyday university life."
Anna Guillemin
Visiting Assistant Professor of German, University of Illinois, Chicago |
"The Berlin Seminar was an extremely productive two weeks: ambitiously paced, covering a lot of different branches of literary production, but intelligently selected so that each unit built upon the next...
Through the intensive discussions, the many generous lunches and dinners, and the excursions to the theater, the participants developed a particularly strong sense of collegiality...
It was a thrill to hold our seminar meetings in such a hallowed literary institution as Berlin’s Literaturhaus; the wainscoted walls and elegant coffee service lent a tone of gravitas to the whole affair and, I felt, immediately commanded a sense of respect among our distinguished guests."
Marike Janzen
Assistant Professor of Humanities; Coordinator, Peace and Conflict Studies Program, The University of Kansas |
"The quality of the programming could not have been better: we had the chance to meet with representatives of multiple facets of Germany’s literature industry who represented the cutting edge of their fields, from innovative and well-known writers to Germany’s top literary translators and many more...
The expertise and engagement of the participants was of the highest level. This meant that the conversations both with the invited “experts” as well as among the participants throughout the two weeks were intellectually stimulating...
Finally, the chance for participants to interact between seminar sessions, either at meals or at our “home base,” the “Literaturhotel,” fostered the development of strong connections, both on a professional and personal level!"
Adrian Robanus
Ph.D. Candidate, University of Cologne |
"The Notre Dame Berlin Seminar „Der Literaturbetrieb“ provided fascinating insights into the various areas of German literature production...
The organisation of the seminar was entirely professional – the common accommodation and the various group activities, especially theatre visits, ensured an ongoing vivid discussion and exchange between the seminar participants....
The seminar offered an excellent opportunity for building a network with outstanding scholars of contemporary German literature, which most likely will lead to more cooperations in the future."