Author Archives: Peter Kruschwitz

About Peter Kruschwitz

Berliner. Classicist. Scatterbrain.

‘Amatrice is no more,’ or: August 24th, again

Posted on August 25, 2016 by Peter Kruschwitz

Correctly or not, August 24th is the date which is commonly taken as the day on which, in A. D. 79, Mt. Vesuvius erupted and destroyed the city of Pompeii as well as many adjacent settlements. Yesterday – on August … Continue reading →

Posted in Prose | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Control, Fear, and Rage: Ovid on Linguistic Isolation

Posted on June 29, 2016 by Peter Kruschwitz

I moved from Germany to Britain in September 2005. I have made this island my home – I work here, I live here, I have my friends here. I don’t put my beach towel over chairs in the library, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Poetry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

In memoriam Jo Cox MP

Posted on June 16, 2016 by Peter Kruschwitz

Today, the increasingly shrill rhetoric around Britain’s future position within or outside the European Union (‘Bremain’ vs. ‘Brexit’) appears to have claimed the life of Labour MP Jo Cox. We tend to think of speech as ‘mere words’. But speech … Continue reading →

Posted in Prose | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Cicero’s Procrastinations

Posted on June 13, 2016 by Peter Kruschwitz

Today, Marcus Tullius Cicero is widely known as one of ancient Rome’s foremost lawyers, orators, philosophers, and statesmen. Born in 106 B. C., Cicero managed to establish himself in a difficult case in 80 B. C., when he – successfully … Continue reading →

Posted in Prose | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Sex, Gender Roles, and Hatred

Posted on June 8, 2016 by Peter Kruschwitz

In 1908, Edith Morley was appointed Professor of English Language at University College Reading – the institution that eventually became the University of Reading. Professor Morley’s autobiographical sketch, ‘Looking Before and After’ was recently published as ‘Before and After: Reminiscences … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, History of Reading, Poetry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Called to the Grave

Posted on June 2, 2016 by Peter Kruschwitz

It has been almost a year since I last visited Edinburgh’s Greyfriars Kirkyard. Back to  Edinburgh this week as external examiner, I found a little spare time to take a stroll to this marvellous space, and I came back with … Continue reading →

Posted in Epigraphy | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Of Arms … Errr: Biscuits I Sing!

Posted on May 20, 2016 by Peter Kruschwitz

Regular readers of my blog will know of my interest in the local history of Berkshire’s county town of Reading. I could not have been more thrilled, therefore, when I went through my University’s archive catalogue and found a record … Continue reading →

Posted in History of Reading, Poetry | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Sneaking a Peek at Reading Abbey

Posted on May 15, 2016 by Peter Kruschwitz

Recently, I have not found as much time to write pieces for this blog as I used to. Summer term – exam period  at Reading – is upon us, and in addition to that, I have been very busy working … Continue reading →

Posted in Epigraphy, History of Reading | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Groans of the Britons

Posted on April 19, 2016 by Peter Kruschwitz

In a couple of months’ time, the United Kingdom will hold a referendum over a contentious question: ‘Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?‘ As a foreigner currently residing in Britain, … Continue reading →

Posted in Prose | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Beware the Ides of March

Posted on March 15, 2016 by Peter Kruschwitz

Helvius Cinna, now virtually unknown to the wider public, once was one of Rome’s finest, most talented, highly acclaimed poets – a proponent of the progressive artistic movement of the neoterics. Catullus, his (nowadays) rather more famous contemporary and fellow … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry, Prose | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments