University Libraries Promotion and Tenure Recognition

Discovering the novels of Hermann Hesse as an undergraduate was an epiphany. All of Hesse’s work is, in some way, about seeking the meaning of life—what one is meant to do and, even more important, who one is meant to be. This had been my quest from a very early age. Though I had no words for it then, I was keenly aware of inner tensions between the sacred and the profane, intellect and emotion, mind and body, and I wondered how to balance these as my life unfolded. The poignant relationship between cloistered scholar and worldly artist-lover illuminated a path toward wholeness that embraces the wonders of both Apollonian and Dionysian dimensions of what it means to be fully human—a way of being that I try to bring into my work with each student I encounter and every scholarly project I undertake.