The Mad Professor

The death of Herman Sudermann in 1928 removed one of the greatest figures in contemporary German literature. The Mad Professor is the first novel which he had written since the Song of Songs, and is based on his own experiences as a student at Konigsberg University in 1875. It is an attempt to depict the confusion and despair which may engulf an individual of bold and independent habit of thought who is opposed to the popular will during a period of social and political transition. The character of Dr. Sieburth, "the mad professor," brilliantly gifted, a keen thinker and philosopher, but with very human qualities and an entirely unconventional mind, is one of the finest portraits Sudermann has ever drawn. The background of university life, the Professor's relations with women, the minor studies of students and professors combine to form a very important period in German history.