Hendrik Birus

Hendrik Birus is an Adjunct Professor of Comparative Literature Studies at Jacobs University Bremen, holding a Wisdom-Professorship. He previously served as Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (2006-2013) and Wisdom Professor (2014-2020). His academic career includes founding the Institute for Comparative Literature at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich (1988) and visiting professorships at universities worldwide.

Educated at Heidelberg University (PhD 1977, habilitation 1984), his research focuses on interrelationships between poetry, philosophy, visual arts, and music, with special emphasis on Goethe's works and world literature concepts. Notable contributions include annotated editions of Goethe's West-Eastern Divan and collaborative translations of Roman Jakobson's works.

His publications span over four decades, emphasizing comparative analysis of German and European literature. Awards include the Golden Goethe Medal (2019) and Bavarian Academy of Sciences fellowship (2001). He currently holds Vice Presidency in the Bavarian Academy and chairs its Modern German Literature Commission.