Department of Modern and Classical Literatures and Cultures

In Memoriam: Dr. Klaus Weissenberger

Dr. Klaus Weissenberger, Professor Emeritus of German Studies at Rice University, passed away on May 24, 2026.

Arriving at Rice in 1971, he devoted fifty years to the university, including sixteen years as chair of the Department of German and Slavic Studies, and also served as Master of Hanszen College with his wife, Eugenia. A distinguished scholar of German literature, his work on Paul Celan and German-Jewish literary traditions remains widely cited, and his publications shaped the fields of poetry, exile literature, and modern German studies.

Known for his intellectual rigor, generosity, and deep commitment to teaching, he inspired generations of students through courses on poetry, fairy tales, and literary interpretation. Colleagues and students alike remember his distinctive ability to connect texts, traditions, and ideas across centuries.

Beyond his academic life, he was a devoted member of the Rice community, a passionate tennis player, and deeply engaged in cultural life in Houston.

He will be greatly missed.

✨We are so proud of our amazing students!
🎊We loved celebrating with you and your family this weekend!
🎓Congratulations class of 2026!

🌹Happy day of books and roses 📚
✨To celebrate we are giving away one of our *NEW* MCLLC t-shirts to one lucky winner🍀
✏️To participate:
📖 Comment your favorite book or author that you have read in a MCLLC class
🦉Be a currently enrolled Rice student.
🏆Winner willl be selected randomly and announced tomorrow 04/24

🎇 Congratulations Luis, for being a recipient of the George R. Brown Award for Superior Teaching!!

🌃Sometimes imagining the perfect future city means looking to the past and beyond our borders.

📚Students in SPAN 402: The City in Latin America (w Dr. Claire Branigan) worked with and librarian K. Sarah Ostrach to utilize rare books including “Un Orden en el Valle” and the poetic architectural odyssey “Amereida”to imagine what a future Houston might look like.