Writing this book has been a rewarding challenge. Now it is my great pleasure to thank all those who have helped me over the past decade. My first debt is to James Retallack, who supervised my dissertation on which this book is based. As he will know best, his unfailing confidence, mentoring, and friendship have helped me immeasurably in my fierce battles with languages, ideas, and academic cultures. For all of that I would like to thank him with all my heart. I was equally fortunate to have worked with Jacques Kornberg and Modris Eksteins at the University of Toronto, who have been abiding listeners and readers, always willing to share their insight and to provide moral support. All three of my advisors made my years as a graduate student at the University of Toronto a very enjoyable experience.

I am particularly indebted to my friends and roommates from Walmer Road, Fong Ku, Rebecca Manley, Zorana Sadiq, and Rachel Simeon for their light-hearted companionship and kind patience throughout my graduate years. They have listened to my long-winded exposes on trapeze artists and stand-up comedians, carefully negotiated their ways through my Teutonic prose, and prevented me from getting “lost in translation.” Similarly, Julia Brüggemann, Stefan Hoffmann, Glenn Penny, and Till van Rahden have sustained me in this long and at times trying journey with their generous and thoughtful suggestions in all matters of life, always being both inspiring friends and scholars.