Julius Pokorny, 1887-1970 : Germans, Celts and nationalism
"Julius Pokorny is one of the most enigmatic figures in the history of Celtic Studies. Born in Prague in 1887, he studied in Vienna and in 1920 became the third Professor of Celtic Philology at Berlin University. He became a propagandist for the Gaelic League, making a fiery speech in Dublin in 1910, and for the Irish Republican cause in Germany, as well as being a staunch German nationalist. He translated Pearse and O Conaire into German, and is a character in Joyce's Ulysses as well as in poems by Myles na Gopaleen and Osborn Bergin." "This book looks critically at Pokorny's life in the context of the European cities in which he lived and the cultural and political movements in which he became involved. German involvement in Celtic Studies is investigated for its motivation, and Ireland's attitude to such Germans, especially during the Third Reich, is also scrutinised. The book seeks to explore the motivation behind Pokorny's involvement with Celtic Scholarship and politics, while always offering a clear context for his beliefs. It is the only full-length study of the life and works of a man who was arguably the most important Celtic scholar on the European mainland from the 1920s until his death in 1970."--BOOK JACKET
Print Book, English, ©2004
Four Courts Press, Dublin, ©2004