Rüdiger Bernhardt

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Rüdiger Bernhardt (born 8 September 1940 in Dresden) is a Germanist and Scandinavist. He worked at the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg until 1993, researching German literature and Nordic topics, including Peter Hille’s works and Seegesicht.

From 1976 to 1989 he was an unofficial collaborator for the East German secret police (Stasi), using the code name "Faust." He provided the Stasi with expert opinions on manuscripts, helping decide whether works could be printed. One evaluation of Detlef Opitz’s text led to it not being printed and caused state reprisals. The Stasi files show 13 typewritten reports, 41 tape copies, 49 oral reports, and 60 meeting reports related to his activities. In addition to his expert opinions, he reported on the German Studies/Art Studies section at Halle and on more than 30 people. Bernhardt is a member of the Leibniz-Sozietät der Wissenschaften zu Berlin.