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READING FROM THE MCGOVERN LIBRARY donated BY PROF. WALTER GRÜNZWEIG

A Look Back at the Reading Evening Featuring the Presentation of the Einstein Dedication

In the Emil Figge Library, three people are sitting at a table reading from American classics in Prof. Walter Grünzweig’s McGovern Collection. © Sylvia Thiele​/​TU Dortmund
A treasure trove of books donated to the University Library: At the Emil-Figge-Bibliothek, a well-attended and enjoyable reading evening featured readings from Prof. Walter Grünzweig’s McGovern Collection, and a book from the collection – bearing an original dedication by Albert Einstein – was also presented.

During a reading on June 18, Walter Grünzweig, a professor of American studies, presented the McGovern Collection, a veritable treasure trove of books from his personal collection. The approximately 4,000 books, which he has now donated to Dortmund University Library, are currently housed in the Emil-Figge-Bibliothek and will be given a special place in the planned research reading room in the library’s new building.

Andreas Gruhn (director of Dortmund Children’s and Youth Theater), Dr. Julia Sattler (lecturer in American Studies), and Christian Kirsch (responsible for print media at the University Library) each read from a volume of American classics. The titles of the three works were not revealed to the fifty audience members beforehand, but they were able to solve the riddle quickly: they were *Huckleberry Finn* by Mark Twain, *In America* by Susan Sontag, and *The Tell-Tale Heart* by Edgar Allan Poe. Walter Grünzweig explained how each of the books came to be part of his collection and what significance it holds for him. The successful reading evening was moderated by Dr. Joachim Kreische, director of the University Library.

The McGovern Collection also includes several signed copies. Some of them can be admired in a display case at the Emil-Figge-Bibliothek through July 3, 2026. One particularly special item is a signed copy by Albert Einstein, which he dedicated to his future estate administrator, Otto Nathan. The dedication reads: “To dear Otto Nathan, my friend and saint, this book about the wanderings of his colleagues. A. Einstein 1952” These words allow for various interpretations, about which we can only speculate today. Prof. Grünzweig suggested that a certain degree of irony may well have been at play. Dr. Stephanie Marra, director of TU Dortmund University Archive and also responsible for the collections, provided a more detailed account of the fascinating story behind the dedication, which was discovered by chance by a University Library employee.

The evening took place as part of the USA@250 event series, through which the City of Dortmund and TU Dortmund University, together with a network of partners, are sending a message of transatlantic friendship that extends beyond July 4.

 

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