Bohrer was born in
Cologne in 1932,
Rhineland,
Prussia,
Germany. He received a doctorate from the
University of Heidelberg in 1962 with a dissertation about the
philosophy of history of the German
Romantics. He wrote his habilitation at the
Bielefeld University,
Die Ästhetik des Schreckens – Die pessimistische Romantik und Ernst Jüngers Frühwerk (The Aesthetics of Terror – The Pessimistic Romantics and
Ernst Jünger's Early Work). He wrote cultural reports and literary essays for broadcasters, and joined the culture section of the daily
Die Welt in Hamburg in 1962. Bohrer moved on to the
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) in Frankfurt in 1966, where he became chief editor for literature from 1968. After he was succeeded in the post by
Marcel Reich-Ranicki in 1974, the paper sent him as
correspondent to London. Bohrer was appointed to the chair for Modern German Literary History at Bielefeld University in 1982, and held the position until emerited in 1997. He was called to teach at
Stanford University, California, in 2003. Bohrer succeeded in 1984 as editor of the culture magazine
Merkur, along with from 1991. He was a thought-provoking writer in the journal (subtitle
Deutsche Zeitschrift für europäisches Denken: German journal for European thought), writing for example a satirical "
Die Ästhetik des Staates" in 1984, beginning a series about the "Bonn Republic" under Chancellor
Helmut Kohl. He received the award
Deutscher Sprachpreis (German language prize) in 2002 mainly for his then 18 years as publisher of the journal, the reasoning being that he had made it a respected forum for all questions of intellectual and social life, by his sense of good language, the basis of its success. His sceptical-provocative opinions on the post-war state of mind, reflecting a European perspective, were noted. Bohrer died in London at age 88. == Publications ==