Geza von Molnar

Background

Geza von Molnar was born on August 5, 1932, in Leipzig, Germany. Of Jewish descent, his family spent the war evading Nazi capture; it was not until 1947 that he arrived in New York City, and he later became a United States citizen. Geza has a brother, Stephan.

Education

Geza von Molnar graduated from Riverdale Country School. In 1958 he graduated from Hunter College in New York with a bachelor's degree in German and philosophy. In 1960 he earned his master's degree in German from Stanford University. In 1966 von Molnar gained a Doctor of Philosophy degree in German from this university.

Career

In 1963 Géza von Molnár began teaching at Northwestern University, becoming a chairman of the German Department in 1970 and attained the rank of professor in 1983. Since 1989 he was director of the university's program in European Thought and Culture. Von Molnar specialized in German philosophy, medieval thought, Western literature of the Romantic Era, and Nazi Germany, a subject of which he had personal knowledge.

He was the author of Novalis’s "Fichte Studies": The Foundations of His Aesthetics (1970) and of a book on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. At the time of his death, he was working on two other books: a study on German-Jewish relationships and a study of Goethe’s Faust.

Achievements

• Geza von Molnar was a widely known and much-admired figure in German studies. His best-known book is Novalis' "Fichte Studies": The Foundations of His Aesthetics. He won fellowships from various scholarly agencies, including the National Endowment of the Humanities and the American Council of Learned Societies. Géza von Molnar Essay Award was established at the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern University.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Romantic Vision, Ethical Context: Novalis and Artistic Autonomy 1987
  • Goethes Kantstudien: Eine Zusammenstellung nach Eintragungen in seinen Handexemplaren der Kritik der reinen Vernunft und der Kritik der Urteilskraft 1994

Views

Géza von Molnár's work opened up important new perspectives on the relation between literature and philosophy in the age of Goethe. Much of his energy as a scholar, teacher, and citizen of the academic community was also devoted to exploring the complicated cultural conditions and accomplishments of German Jewry. His influence on the study of eighteenth-century literature and thought can be seen from the wide-ranging contributions to The Spirit of Poesy: Essays on Jewish and German Literature and Thought in Honor of Géza von Molnár (2000). In addition to his work on the "age of Goethe," Géza was engaged in a detailed account of the cultural programs and aesthetic reflections proposed by the group of twentieth-century Jewish-German exiles who wrote for the journal Aufbau.

Membership

Géza von Molnár was a member of the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies.

Personality

Quotes from others about the person

• "He was a really warm and caring father figure and mentor," Franziska Lys said. "He wanted his students to succeed."
  
  "He’s like anyone’s grandpa," Rachel Brockhoff said. "He’s always there for you … and he always had wonderful stories."

Interests

• walking

Connections

Geza von Molnar was married. His wife's name is Barbara. They have two daughters, Karen and Anina.

Spouse:

Barbara von Molnar

Daughter:

Karen von Molnar

Daughter:

Anina von Molnar

References

• Contemporary Authors
  2010