Walter Horace Bruford facts for kids
Walter Horace Bruford (born July 14, 1894 – died June 28, 1988) was a smart British scholar who studied German literature. He was also a member of the British Academy, which is a group of top experts in humanities and social sciences.
Walter Horace Bruford was born in Manchester in 1894. He went to Manchester Grammar School, then studied at St. John's College, Cambridge, and the University of Zurich. During World War I, he worked for the Royal Navy in a secret code-breaking team called the cryptographic intelligence division. This team was based in Room 40 at the Admiralty.
Life and Career
After World War I, Walter Bruford did more research in Zurich. In 1920, he became a teacher of German at Aberdeen University. He was promoted to a higher teaching role there in 1923.
Professor and Wartime Work
In 1929, Bruford became a professor of German at the University of Edinburgh. During World War II, from 1939 to 1943, he was asked to work for the Foreign Office. He helped with important secret work at Bletchley Park, which was a famous code-breaking center. From 1951 to 1961, he was the Schröder Professor of German at the University of Cambridge. This was a very important job in his field.
Family and Later Life
Walter Bruford's older daughter was Joan Brown, who became a well-known British potter. His son was Dr Alan Bruford, who studied folklore, which is about traditional stories and customs. Walter Bruford lived in Abbey St. Bathans, Duns, Berwickshire, and passed away in 1988.
Main Works
Walter Horace Bruford wrote many books and studies about German culture and literature. Here are some of his important works:
- Germany in the eighteenth century: the social background of the literary revival (1935)
- Chekhov and His Russia, a Sociological Study (1947)
- Theatre, drama, and audience in Goethe's Germany (1950)
- Culture and society in classical Weimar, 1775-1806 (1962)
- The German Tradition of Self-cultivation: Bildung from Humboldt to Thomas Mann (1975)
