Background
He was born in Ludwigslust in the region of Mecklenburg, which became part of the German Democratic Republic after World World War World War II
He was born in Ludwigslust in the region of Mecklenburg, which became part of the German Democratic Republic after World World War World War II
He received his higher education in Hamburg and Munich, where he studied law, philosophy, musicology, and literature.
He escaped to the Federal Republic of Germany in 1952. He earned a doctorate upon the completion of a thesis concerning the concept of natural law in the early writings of Schelling. At the conclusion of his studies, he joined the diplomatic service of the Federal Republic of Germany.
His career as a diplomat included postings in France, Cameroon, Chad, Australia, Japan, and Hungary.
From 1995 to 2004, he was the Secretary-General of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. He is an honorary Doctor of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the University of Pécs, the University of Bucharest, and the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iaşi.
Among his many works are Die Erotik Pfirsichs "The Eroticism of the Peach" (about Japanese writers). Das Geraubte Gedächtnis "Stolen Memory" (about the relation between digital systems and the decline of cultural memory).
Goethes Entdeckung der Langsamkeit "Goethe"s Discovery of Slowness".
Die Kunst, Fehler zu Machen "The Art of Making Mistakes". And his collection of poems Im Kerngehäuse. He is a noted player of the viola and has a particular interest in the music of Robert Schumann.
Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur]
He is in addition a member of the Academy of Sciences and Literature in Mainz.