Professor Hillen studied German and English literature in Munich and Hamburg (Staatsexamen, 1960) and taught German at the University of Hong Kong from 1961 until 1963. His publications reflect his interest in the works of Grimmelshausen, Gryphius, and Lohenstein; the form and function of literary allegory; various aspects of the oeuvre of G. E. Lessing; and post-WW II literature, especially the novels of Max Frisch. His most recent research involves a review of interpretations of Lohenstein's African dramas, Grimmelshausen's picaresque novels, and questions regarding the methodology of writing literary history. He is now in the process of completing a series of essays on German cultural history from 1500 to 1750. |