Congratulations to Dr. des. Neale Cunningham and Dr. des. Alexandru Bar

Many congratulations to German at Leeds PhD researchers Neale and Alex, who passed their vivas this week. Neale wrote on Herman Hesse and Japan, and Alex on Tristan Tzara, Marcel Janco and Jewishness.

Neale's PhD thesis on Hermann Hesse's reception in Japan, and Hermann Hesse's reception of Japan, explores the many affinities between the author and Japanese culture. It makes a major contribution to Hesse research, world literature studies, and transcultural reception theory. He was supervised by Dr Ingo Cornils and Professor Stuart Taberner.

Alex's PhD thesis on 'The multilayered identity of Tristan Tzara and Marcel Janco - the archives of an identity issue'. It explores Jewish identity in Romania in the early twentieth century, focussing on the DaDa artists Tristan Tzara and Marcel Janco. Drawing on undiscovered archives, it makes a major contribution to the understanding of the complex relationship between their Jewish experience and their art. It was funded by the AHRC project Performing the Jewish Archive, and supervised by Dr Helen Finch and Professor Stuart Taberner.