Professor of English and Modern Languages and College Professor of International Studies Dr. Mark Harman and two of the officers of Elizabethtown College’s German Klub traveled to Dickinson College, where Harman spoke about the author Franz Kafka at Dickinson’s German Klub’s annual dinner. The president of Dickinson and other faculty members also attended the event.

During the event, Harman spoke about Kafka, a German-language writer of novels and short stories. Harman discussed translation of Kafka and why Kafka is one of the most influential authors of the 20th century. Harman also discussed repeated themes in Kafka’s work, such as alienation, physical and psychological brutality and parent-child conflict.

The two students who attended the event were German Klub president and senior Tyler Kunkle and vice president and sophomore Annemarie Hartzell. “I thought the event was a nice way for Dickinson to bring together their German Klub and have a formal acknowledgement of the students, professors and administrators involved in the club,” Hartzell said. During the event, Kunkle and Hartzell talked to Dickinson students about their own experiences in German Klub.

Kunkle was able to speak with both the faculty members and student leaders of Dickinson’s German Klub. “I was able to chat about the events they hold and how they compare to our Klub. I was surprised to learn that the president of Dickson’s German Klub is also a current finalist awaiting notification for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant for next year in Germany, as am I,” Kunkle said.

Harman is a native of Dublin, Ireland and a translator of Kafka’s works, including “The Castle” and “Amerika.” He has also written about German and Irish authors for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post.

At Etown, the German Klub meets every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the Marketplace to practice German at dinners. During the dinners, the students speak in German and have a closer feel of the German culture. “We have so far shown a film, had a trip to a local Oktoberfest, had German conversation events, gone to an Amish hymn singing and will be showing another film. The German Klub also plans trips in local areas for German events,” Kunkle said. At the end of the month, the club will be attending the production “Faust” at the University of Delaware.