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THE HOWARD V. AND EDNA H. HONG Kierkegaard Library, located on the campus of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, houses the largest collection of works by and about Soren Kierkegaard outside of Denmark. The collection consists of approximately 11,000 volumes, which include multiple editions and translations of Kierkegaard's works, extensive secondary literature on Kierkegaard, and numerous works by related thinkers who influenced or were influenced by Kierkegaard. The core holdings of the library were donated to St. Olaf in 1976 by Howard and Edna Hong, who are known to Kierkegaard scholars around the world for their English translations of Kierkegaard's writings.
Over a remarkable period of thirty-three years, the Hongs edited and translated the seven-volume Kierkegaard's Journals and Papers (Indiana) and the twenty-six-volume Kierkegaard's Writings (Princeton).1 Both Hongs are alumni of St. Olaf College. Howard Hong served on the faculty at St. Olaf for forty years before retiring in 1978. Edna Hong, in addition to the Kierkegaard translations, published religious works, poetry, historical fiction, and children's stories. The Hongs' gift of their personal library was motivated, as was their translation work, by a desire to make Kierkegaard more accessible to readers. Thanks to the Hongs and to others who shared their vision, Kierkegaard has been a central figure at St. Olaf for decades.
The Hong Kierkegaard Library originated as the working collection of two scholar-translators, but over time it evolved into a special collection library dedicated to acquiring, preserving, and providing access to materials about Kierkegaard. Along the way, the library became something more than a collection of books and manuscripts. As the Hongs intended, it became a study and publication center and a gathering place for Kierkegaard researchers. Today, Kierkegaard scholars from around the world travel to St. Olaf to attend conferences and to use the library's collections. Reflecting upon the value of the library as a research collection and as a place for scholars to meet and exchange ideas, Kierkegaard scholar Bruce Kirmmse noted: "Both [the collection and library programs] are absolutely invaluable, and they really put St. Olaf on the world map" (as quoted in Hequet 43).
This article provides a brief history of the Hong Kierkegaard Library, describes its collections, and examines the programs that have transformed the library into...