Life
1911-1986 [Paul Gottfried Johannes Hennig; fam. John, in Ireland]; b. Leipzig, 3 March 1911; studied theology, philosophy, history and modern languages at Univs. of Bonn (1929-1930), Berlin (1930-31) and Leipzig (1931-33); taught by E. R. Curtius et al.; PhD. (Leipzig), 1933; m. Kläre, dg. of Meyer and Marguerite [née] Darmstaedter, liberal German Jews in Aix-la-Chapelle; taught German at Belvedere College, Dublin, 1939-45; also part-time at Maynooth, 1943-46, and afterwards UCD; appt. Records Officer for Bord na Móna, 1945; completed bibliography of world literature on turf production, utilisation and machine designs; ESB archivist, 1948; published widely in liturgical studies, philosophy, history, mediaeval studies and eccles. history; also Irish-German studies and “Irlandkunde” (his coinage); MRIA 1947; friends incl. Ludwig Bieler, Erwin Schrödinger and Hans Sachs; Frank Gallagher, Evie and Joseph Hone, Arland Ussher, Arthur Cox and Billie O’Sullivan; moved to Basle, 1956; d. & bur. Basle, 11 Dec. 1986, Basle; papers in Exilarchiv, Deutsche Bibliothek Frankfurt.

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Works
“Lebensbegriff und Lebenskategorie: Studien zur Geschichte und Theorie der geistesgeschichtlichen Begriffsbildung” (Leipzig Univ.; diss. 1933); contrib. to over 30 journals; selected writings in Goethe and the English Speaking World (1988); M. Richter, ed. (1989); G. Holfter & H. Rasche, John Hennig – Exil in Irland (2001); see also G. Holfter & H. Rasche, [eds.,] Die bleibende Statt (priv. 2001) [autobiography].

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Criticism
Bibliography of 900 entries, in Archiv für Liturgiewissenschaft (1971, 1978 & 1986).

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Notes
Information in this page supplied by Gisela Holfter <gisela.holfter@ul.ie>

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