Bodi, Leslie

Positions summary

Appointed to Department of Modern Languages, 1960; Chair of German 1963-1987; Emeritus Professor 1988.

Biography

Leslie Bodi was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1922. He matriculated from a German High School there in 1940 and began work as a printer's apprentice and offset-machinist. This brief career was interrupted by the war, compulsory labour service and time spent in a German concentration camp. From 1945-48 Bodi attended the University of Budapest, where he was awarded a Dr. Phil. in 1948, and Dip.Ed. in 1949. Bodi then became a lecturer in German at Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest where he remained until leaving Hungary after the revolution in 1957. On arriving in Melbourne he obtained a position teaching German, French and History at Melbourne CEGS. The following year he moved to Sydney to take up a position as Lecturer in German at the University of Newcastle. Bodi applied for and was offered an appointment as Senior Lecturer in Modern Languages at Monash in 1960, and in late 1963 he was appointed to the Chair of German. He remained at Monash until his retirement at the end of 1987. Professor Bodi's special field of research was German literature from the 18th to the 20th Century. He took several periods of study leave during which he travelled to Europe, the United States and the UK. He participated in various conferences and seminars, at the same time creating academic links with European universities and generally fostering the interests of Monash and its students. He was also largely responsible for building up the German section in Monash's Main Library. During his early career in Hungary, Bodi worked on text books which became widely used in secondary schools, and he was considered by colleagues to have made an outstanding contribution to Germanic Studies in Hungary. Since coming to Australia, Bodi has authored and co-authored many journal articles and books, in English. These include: Therese Huber: Adventures on a Journey to New Holland. Ed. (1966) German Culture in the Libraries of Melbourne (1967) The Austrian Problem. Ed. (1982) The German Connection: Sesquicentenary Essays on the German-Victorian Crosscurrents, 1935-85 (1985) The Image of a Continent: a Bibliography of German Australiana from the Beginnings to 1975 (1990) Professor Bodi was awarded the Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1973, in recognition of his contribution to the study of the German language, literature and culture in Australia, and to the strengthening of cultural ties between the two countries. In 1976 the Austrian Government awarded him the Cross of Honour, First Class for Art and Science, for his work in the fields of Austrian literature and history. He was also awarded the F. Gundolf Prize for German Studies Abroad by the Academy of German Language and Literature in 1989. After his retirement Professor Bodi was made Emeritus Professor and an Associate of the Department of German Studies and Slavic Studies at Monash. He was awarded an Honorary DLitt. in 1990.

Papers

Correspondence 1964-1999
Correspondence with relatives, friends and colleagues covering 1964-1972 and 1980-1999. The series includes inward and copies of outward correspondence, aerograms, telegrams, postcards, and greeting cards.

Manuscripts 1959-1997
Published and unpublished manuscripts for books, journal articles, and conference papers. Files include correspondence, drafts and working papers.

Subject files 1961-1998
Files related chiefly to work in department of German Studies, 1961- 1969, including involvement in outside professional associations. Also included are later files related to relocation of members of the Lukacs school to Australia (1976-1979); establishment and administration of the Austria Centre (1994-1998) and 'Monash in the City' public lecture programme (1989-1993). Collection includes correspondence, working notes, tutorial notes and handouts, newspaper cuttings, minutes and newsletters.