In 2006, Leipzig University, in co-operation with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Veranstaltungsforum of the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, initiated the Picador Guest Professorship for Literature at the University of Leipzig aiming at conveying and critically reflecting on Anglo-American Literature.

Democracy of Language and Literature

The democracy of language and literature is a key note of the Picador Guest Professorship. This vivid mediation of literature will contribute to distinguish the subject according to international standards and place it among the leading programmes for the promotion of Anglo-American Studies in Germany. Authors, screenwriters and critics will be invited; next to recognized and well-known personalities, newcomers and avant-garde writers will be addressed. The Picador Guest Professorship is not only intended to supplement the scientific syllabus of the University of Leipzig but also to interconnect university and city life.

Institute for American Studies Leipzig

American Studies Leipzig was founded in 1994 after the reunification of Germany, but there is a long and distinguished tradition of American studies being conducted in Leipzig reaching back to the 19th Century. Today the institute holds three professorships, among them Germany‘s first and only chair for minority studies. American Studies Leipzig offers BA and MA courses of study and provides parts of the academic curriculum for future teachers of English. Among its research foci are cultural studies, popular culture, transatlantic studies and minority studies. Furthermore, the academic journal aspeers: emerging voices in american studies, is published at American Studies Leipzig.

With the Picador Guest Professorship for Literature, Leipzig University has enjoyed the opportunity to offer its students an experience that is unique in Germany.

Professor Beate A. Schücking, Rector of the University Leipzig