TransArea: Ottmar Ette on Caribbean Literatures, Fractal Gardens and Tropical Microcosms on Vimeo.

Transcript

Ottmar Ette (OE): My name is Ottmar Ette, I was born in the Black Forest region of Germany and was raised bilingually. I live in Potsdam, though not here in the Botanical Garden. I have been working here in Potsdam for many years, studying the works of Alexander von Humboldt for over three decades. Humboldt was very familiar with gardens like this one. So this is a very special place for me. I would describe myself as a scholar in Comparative and Romance literature, and I have always understood Romance Studies to be a global science. It has fascinated me since my days as a student and still does today.
I wrote my PhD thesis on a Cuban poet and my „Habilitation“ on a French theoretician. I am passionate about what I do, and I try to share that passion with others.

Nina Hübner (NH): Thank you so much for this nice introduction, Mr. Ette. As you just mentioned, we are sitting here in the Botanical Garden of the University of Potsdam. We chose this place because you have been working for many years now on the tropics and the Caribbean. You recently published a book concerned with TransArea Studies.
In a nutshell: What exactly does TransArea mean? Continue reading →