Registrants and Speakers arrive at the Marriott Hotel at Eagle Crest Resort, Ypsilanti, Michigan.

Participants are advised to reserve their room no later than March 1, 2004, requesting the "Walter Kempowski Symposium" Reduced Rate of $79.00 plus tax.

Participants should call the Ypsilanti Marriott at Eagle Crest directly at:

        Telephone: 734-487-2000
                   FAX: 734-487-0773
Mailing Address: 1275 S. Huron Street, Ypsilanti, MI 48197 USA

10:00 - 10:30 A.M.

Opening Words, Greetings and Introduction of the Dignitaries

• Carla Damiano, EMU, Chair of the Symposium

WELCOMING REMARKS:

• Frederick Hoffman, Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany and Director of State Relations, DaimlerChrysler Corporation
• Paul T. Schollaert, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, EMU
• Margareta O’Connell, Director, EMU’s World College
• Elisabeth Morgan, Head of EMU’s Dept. of Foreign Languages & Bilingual Studies

Keynote Address

"Some Reflections on Walter Kempowski’s Oeuvre"
Jörg Drews, Universität Bielefeld

An excerpt from Joerg Drew’s "Keynote Address:"

"Kempowski certainly is – and I think that is one of his great qualities as an author - somebody who does not raise his voice to point to pathetic truths or the evilness of certain deeds; the disturbing and uncanny effects he often achieves in his novels have something to do with the chasm between a seemingly light-handed presentation of contents which deal with grave and grievous matters. His style is deceptive in that it does not adjust language at every point to the contents that it is presenting or containing. In general, our aesthetics of the narrative, and one might say, of literature in general in the 20 th century, is one of openness and calling a spade a spade, whereas literature stylistically and as a narrative method also offers the possibility of just hinting at things, giving little clues, speaking in understatement and with ‘tongue in cheek.’ Kempowski has a way of presenting society and individuals; he abstains from making judgements all the time yet hints at the most horrific and breathtaking contradictions between façade and truth with uncanny and irritating calm."

 

COFFEE AND REFRESHMENTS

MUSICAL – OFFERING

Introduction of the pianist by Anthony Iannaccone, Professor of Music

Pianist: Dady Mehta, Professor of Piano

 

DEAN'S LUNCHEON RECEPTION

Luncheon Speaker: Linda K. Pritchard, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences

 

PANEL 1: ON THE ARTISTIC STRUCTURE OF KEMPOWSKI’S WRITING

"Walter Kempowski and the Art of the Literary Montage"

Carla Damiano, Eastern Michigan University

 

PANEL 2: ON KEMPOWSKI'S INNOVATIVE USE OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY

"Media Experiments: Kempowski's Bloomsday '97 and Tanaka's Prométhée numérique"

Daniel Gilfillan, Arizona State University

 

COFFEE AND REFRESHMENTS

PANEL 3

**SPECIAL PREVIEW OF A NEW GERMAN TV FILM TO BE BROADCAST
ON 29 APRIL 2004 IN GERMANY BY ZDF. **

Das Zweite Deutsche Fernsehen: Kempowski und das Echolot
"Stalingrad: Szenen aus Amateurfilmen von der Front und aus der Heimat,"
dazu Texte aus dem Echolot, dazwischen Interviews mit Walter Kempowski

ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION FOLLOWS

9:00 - 11:00 A.M.

PANEL 4: FILM AND A ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION

Viewing the film version of Kempowski’s "Tadellöser und Wolff"

ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION FOLLOWS

COFFEE AND REFRESHMENTS

PANEL 5: FRAGEN DER PÄDAGOGIK IN DER LITERATUR

"Lesenlernen als pädagogisch-literarisches Ereignis"

Volker Ladenthin, Universität Bonn

PANEL 6: KEMPOWSKI’S ART OF THE DIARY

"Als Mörder neige ich zum erwürgen." Zur Radikalität der Inszenierung in Walter Kempowskis Tagebüchern Sirius und Alkor."

Doris Plöschberger, Universität Graz

 

PANEL 7: STUDENT RECEPTION OF KEMPOWSKI

A WORKSHOP ON KEMPOWSKI IN THE GERMAN LITERATURE CLASS
SELECTED STUDENT PRESENTATIONS.

"Didacticizing Kempowski for non-native Germans"

Selected Papers by German 342 Students:

Adrienne Muncy
Natalia Cook
Jacob Hamric

Discussants:

Volker Ladenthin and Carla Damiano

(COFFEE AND REFRESHMENTS are available in Room, # 300 from 3:30 p.m.)

 

PANEL 8: KRIEG UND GEWISSEN EINES DEUTSCHEN LITERATEN

"Das hatte biblische Ausmaße – Kempowski als Zeuge und Chronist des Bombenkriegs"

Volker Hage, Kulturredakteur, Der Spiegel, Hamburg

 

PANEL 9: ON KEMPOWSKI’S NOVEL “AUS GROSSER ZEIT”

"Zwei mal säumt die Bevölkerung die Strassen - Kempowskis Version der "Ur-Katastrophe"

Jörg Drews, Universität Bielefeld

COFFEE AND REFRESHMENTS

11:30 - 12:30 P.M.

PANEL 10: CONSTELLATIONS OF THE WORD

"Prolegomenon zu einer ‘Konkordanten’ Kempowskiforschung"

Alan Keele, Brigham Young University

PANEL 11: A SURVEY OF KEMPOWSKI’S WORKS
EIN BERICHT AUS DER ECHOLOT-WERKSTATT

"Die groß' und kleine Welt" - Stellung und Bedeutung des Echolot in Kempowskis Gesamtwerk"

Dirk Hempel, Universität Hamburg

PANEL 12: ASSESSING KEMPOWSKI’S PLACE AMONG HIS CONTEMPORARIES

"Piano Accompaniment"

Rembert Hüser, University of Minnesota

 

CLOSING PANEL:

ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE SYMPOSIUM AND CONCLUDING REMARKS

Co-Chairs: Jörg Drews and Carla Damiano.

 

DINNER

10:00 A.M.

CULTURAL EXCURSIONS I

Breakfast/Brunch/Lunch

Choice of conducted or individual Tours in Ann Arbor or Shopping along Main Street

Possible tours:

The University of Michigan Art Gallery

University of Michigan Library Collections

Various bookstores

CULTURAL EXCURSIONS II

Choice of conducted Tours in Detroit:

The Detroit Institute of Arts,

AND/OR

The Henry-Ford Automobile Museum

CLOSE OF THE SYMPOSIUM - ENDE DER TAGUNG

Gute Heimreise!

SPONSORS AND DONORS – GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, CORPORATIONS, INDIVIDUALS

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), New York. The Goethe-Institut, Chicago. The Ford Motor Company. DaimlerChrysler Corporation. Frederick Hoffman. Tom and Mary Layher.

EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY SPONSORS

Dr. Paul T. Schollaert, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs; Dr. James Vick, Vice President University Marketing/Student Affairs; Dr. Linda K. Pritchard, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; Dr. Margareta O’Connell, Director of the World College; Dr. Elisabeth Morgan, Head, Department of Foreign Languages and Bilingual Studies.

CONSULTANTS, VOLUNTEERS, AND HELPERS

The German Section of the Department: Dr. Margrit V. Zinggeler, Klaus Tappe, Michael Leber. Members of the German Club; Members of the German Literature Stammtisch; German 342 Students; Mrs. Sue Walker, Mrs. Patricia Kulhanek, Mr. David Schrumpf, Mrs. Andrea Weaver.