Thursday, 6 May, 19:30 – 20:30

Abstract

Every Etty Hillesum-reader knows Julius Spier. All are aware that Spier was a hand-reader, a pupil of Carl Gustav Jung, and was intimate with Hillesum. Spier is usually acknowledged for having set Hillesum on her path of spiritual growth, but is otherwise ignored. This while his imago is negatively labeled while being a hand-reader and a psychotherapist who was affectionate with his female students and clients. This lecture will elaborate on Spier’s tarnished image and shed new light on him.

About the speaker

Alexandra Nagel completed her PhD at Leiden University in 2020. The subject of her thesis was Julius Spier, whom she had crossed paths during her MA-studies in the history of western esotericism at the University of Amsterdam. She has published several articles with new material she discovered about Etty Hillesum, and people mentioned in her diary. In addition to Spier these are: Hanny Tideman, Hertha Levi, Leonie Snatager, Liesl and Werner Levie, Jan Bool and Aimé van Santen.