Dieter Cunz
Encyclopedia
Dieter Cunz German-born American historian, writer, educator, and occasional journalist. He is also said to have co‑authored several detective novels
or Kriminalromane in collaboration with Oskar Seidlin
and Richard Plant (1910–1998) under the collective pen‑name of Stefan Brockhoff (q.v.
).
Cunz was born in the rural area of the Westerwald
, and grew up in Schierstein
(in Hesse
), a suburb of Wiesbaden
. He studied history, history of religion, and German literature at several places in Germany, ending with the University of Frankfurt (Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main), where in 1934 he submitted a historical dissertation on Johann Casimir of Simmern
. He subsequently emigrated to Switzerland. In 1936 appeared his study in European constitutional history, Europäische Verfassungsgeschichte der Neuzeit, followed the next year by a monograph on Zwingli. His Um uns herum: Märchen aus dem Alltag appeared in 1938. In the same year Cunz emigrated to the United States; here his first publication seems to have been a historical study of the German-Americans settled in the state of Maryland, issued in 1940, a precursor to his The Maryland Germans: A History (1948). He was a beloved professor of German at the University of Maryland
, and from 1956 at the Ohio State University
, which now has a building named after him (Dieter Cunz Hall of Languages, at 1841 Millikin Road in Columbus, Ohio).
To the genre of children’s literature belongs his They Came from Germany: The Stories of Famous German-Americans, published in 1966. He also co‑authored German language textbooks.
He died unexpectedly on February 17, 1969, at the age of 58.
Crime fiction
Crime fiction is the literary genre that fictionalizes crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...
or Kriminalromane in collaboration with Oskar Seidlin
Oskar Seidlin
Oskar Seidlin ; German-born American literary scholar, poet, and writer of children’s stories. He is also said to have co‑authored several detective novels or Kriminalromane in collaboration with Dieter Cunz and Richard Plant under the collective pen‑name of Stefan Brockhoff.Born Oskar Koplowitz...
and Richard Plant (1910–1998) under the collective pen‑name of Stefan Brockhoff (q.v.
Stefan Brockhoff
Stefan Brockhoff is a pseudonym that was used collectively by a group of three German co-authors of several detective novels, all of them having certain characteristics in common: they were all born in Germany at or about the beginning of the second decade of the twentieth century; at one point or...
).
Cunz was born in the rural area of the Westerwald
Westerwald
The Westerwald is a low mountain range on the right bank of the River Rhine in the German federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia. It is a part of the Rhine Massif...
, and grew up in Schierstein
Wiesbaden-Schierstein
Schierstein is a southwestern borough of Wiesbaden, capital of state of Hesse, Germany. First mentioned in historical records in 860, Schierstein was incorporated into Wiesbaden in 1926. Today the borough has about 10,000 residents...
(in Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
), a suburb of Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...
. He studied history, history of religion, and German literature at several places in Germany, ending with the University of Frankfurt (Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main), where in 1934 he submitted a historical dissertation on Johann Casimir of Simmern
Johann Casimir of Simmern
John Casimir of the Palatinate-Simmern was a German prince and a younger son of Elector Frederick III, Count Palatine of the Rhine. A firm Calvinist, he was a leader of mercenary troops in the religious wars of the time, including the Dutch Revolt...
. He subsequently emigrated to Switzerland. In 1936 appeared his study in European constitutional history, Europäische Verfassungsgeschichte der Neuzeit, followed the next year by a monograph on Zwingli. His Um uns herum: Märchen aus dem Alltag appeared in 1938. In the same year Cunz emigrated to the United States; here his first publication seems to have been a historical study of the German-Americans settled in the state of Maryland, issued in 1940, a precursor to his The Maryland Germans: A History (1948). He was a beloved professor of German at the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
, and from 1956 at the Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
, which now has a building named after him (Dieter Cunz Hall of Languages, at 1841 Millikin Road in Columbus, Ohio).
To the genre of children’s literature belongs his They Came from Germany: The Stories of Famous German-Americans, published in 1966. He also co‑authored German language textbooks.
He died unexpectedly on February 17, 1969, at the age of 58.
See also
- Richard Plant (1910–1998)
- Oskar SeidlinOskar SeidlinOskar Seidlin ; German-born American literary scholar, poet, and writer of children’s stories. He is also said to have co‑authored several detective novels or Kriminalromane in collaboration with Dieter Cunz and Richard Plant under the collective pen‑name of Stefan Brockhoff.Born Oskar Koplowitz...