P.E.N. Zentrum deutschsprachiger Autoren im Ausland

© TANGRAM (Harald Stuckmann)

Guy Stern

Born in 1922 in Hildesheim. In November 1937 emigrated to the USA; American citizen since 1943. From 1940 to 1942 studied at the University of St. Louis. From 1942 to 1945 served in the US Army, after basic training served in the Military Intelligence Service, earning the rank of Master Sergeant, decorated Bronze Star.
1948 BA (Romance languages) at Hofstra College, Hempstead, NY, graduate studies at Columbia University, New York: MA (Germanic Studies) 1950; 1953 doctoral dissertation "Fielding, Wieland and Goethe, A Study in the Development of the Novel". German instructor until 1955.

Assistant professor from 1955 to 1963 at Denison University, Granville Ohio, Associate professor of German since 1958. (1955–1961 returned to Columbia University Summer School; 1962 Fulbright Research Fellowship at the University of Munich). 1963 to 1975 Professor of German Language and Literature at the University of Cincinnati, 1963–1973 head of German Department, 1973 University Dean for Graduate Education and Research. 1975 to 1978 Chair at the University of Maryland, College Park.
At Wayne State University, Detroit since 1978, until 1981 Provost and Senior Vice President, then Distinguished Professor. Guest Professor at the Universities of Freiburg, Frankfurt, Leipzig, Potsdam and Munich. Co–Founder of the Lessing Society, president from 1975–1977; president of the American Association of Teachers of German 1970–1972; standing member of the board of the Leo Baeck institute since 1967.

Honored as Distinguished Germanist of the year (AATG, 1985), the Grand Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (dem Groben Verdienstkreuz der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, 1987), and Goethe Medal(1989) and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching (1992).

Published works: –(ed.) Efraim Frish: Zum Verständnis des Geistigen. Heidelberg/Darmstadt: Lambert Schneider, 1963. –(ed., with Gustave Mathieu) Nelly Sachs: Ausgewählte Gedichte. New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, 1968. –War, Weimar and Literature. The Story of the Neue Merkur" 1914–1925. University Park:Pensylvania State UP, 1971. –(ed.) Alfred Neumann. Eine Auswahl aus seinem Werk. Wiesbaden: Steiner, 1979. –Literatur Im Exil. Gesammelte Aufsätze 1959–1989. München–Ismaning: Hueber, 1989. Literarische Kultur im Exil (Dresden: Dresdner Universitäts Verlag 1999). Ed. (with Helmut Loos, Auf dem Weg zum "Weg der Verheissung". ( Freiburg; Rombach–Verlag, 2000).

Numerous articles on 19th and 20th Century English and German literature. Festschrift (with an index of scholarly papers published by Guy Stern): Exile and Enlightenment. Studies in German and Comparative Literature in honor of Guy Stern. Uwe Faulhaber, ed., Detroit: Wayne State UP, 1987. Bibliography: Lessing in Cincinatti (1966–1976), Lessing Yearbook XXXIII, 2001 (Volume dedicated to Guy Stern) Autobiographische Zeugnisse der Verfolgung, Kolloquium zu Ehren von Prof. Guy Stern aus Anlass seines 80. Gerburtstag, 29./30. Juni, 2002