Studied at Heidelberg, Kiel and Bristol universities, undergraduate degree from the University of Oslo, Norway. By training a medievalist, with extensive studies in medieval Scandinavian, English and German philology, graduate studies at the university of Iowa, MA and PhD degrees in comparative literature. From 1967 to 1992 employed by the University of Northern Iowa where he served as Professor of European Literatures and Humanities and as Head of the Modern Language Department (1975 to 1991).