In Memoriam: Todd C. Hanlin, Professor Emeritus of German

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Todd Hanlin

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Professor emeritus Todd Hanlin passed away Dec. 22, 2022, in Fayetteville. He was diagnosed with lung cancer in June 2022 and entered hospice care shortly before his death.

Hanlin will be remembered as a beloved teacher, a prolific translator, and a dedicated and hard-working colleague to all in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Arkansas.

Hanlin received his B.A. from Wabash College in 1962, his M.A. from the University of Kansas in 1967, and his Ph.D. from Bryn Mawr in 1975. These studies included periods at the Goethe Institute in Ebersberg/Oberbayern and the University of Freiburg, as well as summer Fulbright awards in 1982 and 1995.

He taught at the University of Kansas, the College of Wooster, Bryn Mawr, and the University of Pennsylvania, before coming to the University of Arkansas in 1981 where he was to spend the rest of his career. While at Arkansas, he taught the spectrum of German literature from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, including interdisciplinary courses in Landeskunde, European Studies, and Romanticism and Music. Active at all levels of service, Hanlin served on the Faculty Senate, the University of Arkansas Press Committee, the Comparative Literature Committee, and as program head of German. His most significant service to the department was as undergraduate and graduate advisor, teaching assistant coordinator, and advisor to the active chapter of Delta Phi Alpha.

An early advocate for Austrian literature, Hanlin edited two volumes (on Sealsfield and “Beyond Vienna: Literature from the Austrian Privinces”) and published on Jugendstil, Hoffmannsthal, Schnitzler, Werfel, Szyszkowitz, Hochwälder, Hochgatterer, and others. His principal contribution, however, was as translator of Austrian plays and novels (Anton Fuchs, Gustav Ernst), most recently of novelist Gerhard Roth (with Ariadne Press). Translation was a passion he continued throughout his retirement in 2007. At his death, Hanlin was working on Roth’s novel Der Strom.

Hanlin inspired a generation of students. He was revered by graduate and undergraduates alike, both for his wit and his humanity.

As a member of the AATG, GSA, Modern Austrian Literature and Culture Association, MLA, and the American Literary Translator Association, he served students and colleagues in a rich and multivalent career.

Judith Ricker and Mark E. Cory, Fulbright College, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville