Norman Fiering

Understanding Rosenstock-Huessy Norman Fiering

The contributions of Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy (1888-1973), one of the most profound and original thinkers of the twentieth century, span several disciplines in the humanities--history, philosophy, sociology, linguistics, religion--although his work is ultimately uncategorizable. In 1933, immediately upon the ascent of Hitler, he emigrated to the United States from Germany, taught at Harvard for two years, and then at Dartmouth College until 1957. His voice was prophetic, urgent, compelling, and it remains relevant. This collection of essays is by a retired professor of history who was a student of Rosenstock-Huessy's in the 1950s and found his lecturing transformative. It is not a nostalgic book, however. It is written with the conviction that Rosenstock-Huessy still needs to be heard, more urgently than ever for the betterment of humankind.