After completing an M.A. in German and Scandinavian Languages and Literatures at Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Germany, Daniela Hempen moved to Vancouver to pursue doctoral studies at the University of British Columbia. She earned her Ph.D. in Medieval German Literature and Culture in 1998 and began teaching at UBC during her doctoral studies, first as a Teaching Assistant and later as a Sessional Lecturer.

She is currently a Lecturer in German in UBC’s Department of Central, Eastern, and Northern European Studies (CENES). With more than 30 years of university teaching experience, Daniela is passionate about creating dynamic, supportive learning environments. She believes that exploring other languages and cultures broadens perspectives, fosters intercultural understanding, and opens doors to new connections and personal growth.

Medieval studies; 19th and 20th/21st century German literature and culture; representations of nature in literature; literary ‘otherworlds’ (dystopias/utopias); representations of trauma in literature

Research Projects

Dystopias/utopias and nature/environmentalism in post-WWII German literature

Translation of Elisabeth von Nassau-Saarbrücken’s Der Roman von der Königin Sibille from Early Modern German into English. (Custom Course Material for use in the classroom; completed 2014)

Selected Recent Publications

“Grünender Wald, gebannter Ort und Palast der Fee: Zum Verhältnis zwischen Mensch und Natur in Franz Grillparzers Melusina.” Monatshefte 105 (2013): 71-85. Print.

“Wie die Kinder den Krieg verließen . . . : Musik, Natur und Erlösungssehnsucht in Margarete Jehns Hörspiel ‘Der Bussard über uns.’“ Germanic Notes and Reviews 43 (2012): 7-14. Print.

“Wolfsvieh, Flügelbär und König Etzels Grab . . . : Ungezähmte Natur als falscher locus terribilis in Thomas Glavinics Endzeitroman Die Arbeit der Nacht.” Neophilologus 95 (2011): 291-303. DOI 10.1007/s11061-010-9223-3. Print.

2023-24 UBC Killam Teaching Prize