Björn Christian Walter

Deutsch

The first time that I met Björn properly was at the welcome drinks in the Master's Lodge, held a few weeks into our first term. We talked about the word 'Chutzpah' and Björn told me how interested he was in the way Yiddish words had been adopted into everyday American-English. Almost anybody who knew Björn would quickly become aware of his love of and fascination with language, and of his extraordinary linguistic abilities.

In fact I had heard about Björn's talents even before I met him. I remember sitting in a crowded room during Freshers week and hearing how Björn, through his own reading, had taught himself twice as many Japanese characters as was needed to do very well at Japanese A-Level. Through his own pleasure in and capacity for learning, Björn had arrived in Cambridge with a command of Japanese that his fellow freshers about to begin studying the language with him, couldn't but find intimidating.

Many of us were also quickly struck by Björn's extraordinary command of English. I remember hearing how in response to one of his first essays in Cambridge his supervisor was impressed by the elegance of Björn's somewhat antiquated prose, but suggested that he might need to modify it somewhat. Having read some of the classics of English literature, as well as some old-fashioned English translations of Greek and Latin, Bjvrn arrived in Cambridge with a rather high-flown and flowery English. Samuel Green, who came to study Japanese at trinity at the same time as Björn, has the following memory:
"I first realised quite how impressive Björn's command of the English language was when I received a text message from him in freshers' week in which he used the word 'thither'. I immediately resolved not to be outdone and these days occasionally manage to drop whence/thence/hence/whither/thither/hither into conversation. If people comment I tell them this story. Björn was remarkable in so many ways that it seems odd to remember him for something so trivial, but I guess it is often the small things that make an impact. This is why I do not think I shall every forget him."

Many of us natives learned a lot about the English language by spending time with Björn, and he certainly improved our vocabularies! Words such as swarthy, abstemious, lethargy, lacuna, pulchritudinous, and coquettish - all of these and many others I picked up from Björn. I would very often meet him for lunch or dinner in hall and he'd ask me if I'd heard of a word that he'd come across that day. As well his sometimes quaint English, and his large specialist and academic vocabulary, he also really enjoyed hearing all about English slang and new words only just coming into use. I remember him telling me about an article he'd read about the newly coined term, 'metrosexual'. There was also one evening I remember in particular when, after seeing a film at the Grafton centre, Björn, Naveen and I loitered on Green Street chatting about the different slang terms in German and English.

As Samuel says, it's the little things as much anything that I remember: the habits and mannerisms that go a long way to creating an impression of a person. I remember the way Björn would often gesture with his hand when making a point; the way in which he would get up from his bench in hall and say, "Right. See you then"; how he would linger on the 'R' in "really" when he said "I really like that film"; and the way he would say "not too bad", as he almost always did, when I asked him how he was.

Björn did always strike me as a very private person. We spent a lot of time together and were good friends, but I normally didn't push him to go beyond his "not too bad response". I'm sad that there was so much going on inside of him that I didn't know about and wasn't able to help him with more.

But I'm glad for all the fun we had together and remember those times fondly. The meals in hall, the formal halls, and all the films we watched. Björn loved cinema. We normally went to see at least one film each week during our 3rd year, and Björn watched lots more on DVD in all that extra time he had because of the speed at which he could often complete his work. I particularly remember going to the films shown at Christs, and to the cinema at the Grafton Centre, and then standing in the street afterwards chatting about them. Films that immediately spring to mind as ones that Björn particularly enjoyed are Amelie and Kill Bill. I also remember how much he enjoyed the Marx Brothers' 'A Night At The Opera' which we saw at Christ's and which we [will see]/ [have just seen] a clip of today. On another occasion, after we'd been to see 'Troy', we ended up chatting in the empty Market Square, with Björn telling me and Naveen all about the Iliad.

There was also the occasion on which, after having been to see 'Breakfast At Tiffanies', I was deservedly mocked for some pretentious comment I'd made about the beauty or otherwise of Audrey Hepburn's nose. For all his intellectual interests, and the seriousness which people could be struck by at times, Björn had a keen sense of humour and I laughed a lot with him.

I remember how much Bjvrn enjoyed the afternoon that some of us spent on a punt after our exams had finished at the end of our 2nd year. Drinking Pimms, eating Strawberries and generally being rather silly. (The two photos of Björn on a punt in the slide-show earlier were taken on that day.) As well as learning so much from him, Björn was a person with whom I had an awful lot of fun.

I also remember how on one occasion when I was feeling rather anxious about an exam he dropped what he was doing and came to have dinner with me in 'Clowns' cafi. Andy Poole, who came to Trinity at the same time as Björn, told me how he always found Björn a calming influence. He would bump into Björn in Great Court or on the way to the Gym and would be struck by his thoughtfulness. Steven Stavrou, a school friend of mine who was at St.John's and came to be friends with Björn too, also remembers how thoughtful Björn was. He has written the following:
"It is odd what one remembers and what one forgets. For some reason i remember quite clearly when we were queuing to watch a film at Christ's (Breakfast at Tiffany's I think?). It was one of the first few times i had met Björn, and he took some getting used to as he had a great earnestness and frankness in the way he spoke to people. He liked to ask questions, not small-talk, but acute and prescise questions about what one said or did, and he always listened very carefully. I found it was almost impossible to be emotionally false or intellectually slack with Bjvrn as you knew he would pick up on it. He was interested in people, their beliefs and why they believed them. One often came away feeling you had been in a very good supervision - when ideas and thoughts are refreshingly and powerfully challenged."

I think that Björn often left a big impression on people. He was extremely curious. He loved to learn about literature, language, and philosophy and the differences between cultures. I remember talking to him on so many occasions about these differences between cultures, in particular the differences between aspects of life in Germany, England and Japan.

I learnt so much from Björn, and had so much fun with him. Many of my happiest times in Cambridge were spent with him. He was a good friend and someone to whom I felt close even if I perhaps never knew him quite as well as good friends often do know each other.

He had an extraordinary intelligence, which was put to such good use by curiosity and inquisitiveness. As true as it is to say of anyone, Björn could have gone on to do any number of things in life.

It was my great pleasure to have known him, and an honour that he was my friend.

Deutsch

The first thing I thought to myself when I met Björn was "wow". Despite being from Germany, his English was as fluent and as eloquent as a classical writer. He was simply one of the most impressive people I had ever met. He perfectly embodied the image of the gifted person that I thought Cambridge would be full of. But Björn was special. He was modest, reserved and possessed an enviable wit and sense of humour which everybody loved. I had the privilege of sharing a wall with him in the first year, as he was my next door neighbour, and therefore one of the first people I met on arriving at Trinity. We lived at the top of the Wolfson Building on E floor - a place of very little action! It took me a while to adapt to Trinity life and I spent most of my first term on E floor which became my little space. Björn was always a part of my space and I was proud to have him in it. I noticed that when Björn was sad, he rarely came out of his room. Often, I was only aware of his presence by the sound he made whilst switching plugs in the wall we shared. It was a comforting sound nonetheless - it always gave me reassurance late at night when I was struggling through a Spanish translation whilst listening to my Marvin Gaye or Al Green.

Music was one of the things that kept me strong during my first couple of terms at University; I couldn't get up and get dressed without it. Björn was always tolerant of my tastes and I soon learnt that we loved many of the same songs, or at least their melodies. One of these songs was by Busta Rhymes and Mariah Carey - I used to play it obsessively throughout the day, never really conscious of the fact that Björn could hear or might be listening, as the Wolfson walls were surprisingly thick. But of course we had windows...and they were quite often open. One evening I was playing the Busta Rhymes song and Björn knocked on my door and asked me to turn it up.

I was really surprised - I hadn't realised that he took pleasure in a hip hop and RnB. I turned up the music as requested and we had a little dance until Björn sat down and just nodded to the music with the cheeky grin that my friend Shan Andrea will always remember him for...

Shan Andrea is one of my best friends from school. I was keen for her to meet Björn the first time she visited me at Trinity and gave her a little pep talk about Björn "the brain", "the legend" before their first meeting. Like of all of us, she was really saddened to learn of Björn's sudden death. I asked her for her memories and she wrote:

"I guess what sticks in my mind is his cheeky grin! Even though I only met him twice his face is really clear in my mind. I really didn't think he'd accept our invites to come out as I wasn't sure that it would be his scene and I was kind of worried that he wouldn't enjoy himself. But I was so pleasantly surprised to see that he had such a good time and he really kept us on our toes on the dance floor...."

Björn's favourite club in Cambridge was "The Fez". Like me he spoke disparagingly of the other inferior clubs such as Cindies and Life. We ventured into Cindies one night at the end of term when we could think of nothing better to do. We only last 5 minutes and laughed to ourselves all the way home about the sticky floor and drunken amateur pole dancers...

It was impossible to speak to Björn without noticing his peculiar yet remarkable vocabulary. He taught Jonty and I so many words over the years. Jonty even kept a list! I was frequently obliged to consult my English dictionary to understand the emails he sent from time to time during the holidays. During term time however, my face was often contorted with confusion as I sat opposite him in Hall trying desperately to decipher his complex phrasing and philosophical offerings. He used to moan about having failed to meet any young ladies of the "utmost pulchritude", complaining that women in Cambridge were increasingly "unprepossessing". He taught me words such as "swarthy" and "paroxysm" and once sent me an email detailing a list of the most common philias and fetishes known to man. Nothing was taboo for Björn - you could always go to him for a laugh, but he was sure to follow it up later that evening with an encyclopaedia entry!

My dad used to get excited about picking me up at the end of term. He was so impressed with everything about Björn; the way he spoke, his apparent wisdom, his effortless charm. We'd talk about Björn all the way home and my dad would joke about adopting him as his genius son. Björn the bear - he had a fierce intelligence which my dad quite fancied for himself.

The truth is that nobody ever had a bad word to say about Björn. He was simply a sublime figure. Björn was inspiring. Even though I only knew him for three years, in this short time he unknowingly made a huge contribution to my life. I would proudly boast about my legendary friend on my travels in Latin America and Italy. I was looking forward to spending time with Björn enormously this October. He was to be one of the few fourth years I know at Trinity and one of my best friends in college. When I first heard of Björn's death, I remembering wishing that he had come back to Trinity so that he could have had a good time with his friends. Maybe we could made that difference to his life. But then I thought to myself that Björn always knew what he was doing, he had a reason for everything. Now I believe that wherever Björn might be, he is happy and this fills me with an incredible peace. I'll never forget Björn and he will always inspire me towards great things.

Deutsch

Hide,
Do not hide
I will not hide this
Like so much else
Those glances, phrases, moments and breaths
Can never be
Blinked and forgotten
In a broken day

I will watch him,
Like a comet a tear
Traces down and kisses
My ageless cheek
As he races away

He will not return, I know
The tear carves a meandering line
Down sharp clenched jaw and rounded chin
A drop that shines as it falls and winks out

I will keep it
Like a city at night
Where it meets the empty sea
A sparking pearl
So alone, so tiny
And yet so vital and unique

Hollow out my heart
And hide there.

Deutsch

Now that is a hard act to follow! But Björn's appreciation of the Marx Brothers' humour was totally in keeping with the aspect of him that I was privileged to see most of. Much of the magic of the Marx Brothers comes from the play of logic, or the contradiction of logic, in the dialogue, and so, on one level, illuminates Björn's intense preoccupation with philosophy and language. Björn Walter had a stunning facility with language. He was one of the cleverest students I have ever come across, fiercely intellectual, and with an enormous capacity for work. I first met Björn in December 2001, when as Trinity Director of Studies I interviewed him for admission to the Faculty of Oriental Studies to study Japanese. It was his interest in the Kyoto school of philosophy which had led him to the language. "I am enamoured of the tongue and the concomitant culture" he wrote, adding, "The Japanese subtle philosophy of living, their attitude to nature and the way these are dealt with in literature enthral me." With a mixture of extra-curricular classes in Frankfurt and self study he had taught himself so much Japanese that we found him at interview to be almost above part 1 level, the equivalent of two years of intensive study in Cambridge. The essays submitted with his application, on Aristotle's concept of tragedy and Japanese nuclear power, bore out what his English teacher said: that he was a "highly gifted student with an astonishing vocabulary and a keen interest in intellectual, social and political problems." He was equally gifted in the sciences, and had taken the equivalent of an undergraduate degree in Computer Science by correspondence course while still at high school.

Björn matriculated in October 2002. He had wanted to come to Britain, feeling the close knit community of a Cambridge college would suit him best and we were delighted to have him. His supervision reports give some idea of the impression he made: one history essay was described as "Quite brilliant, showing evidence of wide reading and fluently written in a style few English students can match." Another report described him as "a resourceful and sensitive historian." At the end of his first year here, Björn took the Part 1 examination obtaining first class honours with distinction. For this sterling achievement he was made a Senior Scholar of the college, an honour normally reserved for those in their third year.

Björn was happiest when able to work unobstructed at something that satisfied his voracious intellectual appetite. He also held strong views. Soon after arriving, he audited classes in philosophy, but was disappointed to find no teaching on continental philosophers such as Hegel and Heidegger, whose work (in part) inspired the Kyoto school. He found the 20th century English analytic philosophers uncongenial and told me so in no uncertain terms. By the end of his second year here, in June 2004, Björn was, exceptionally, allowed to sit the Part ll examinations, at which he again achieved a first. His supervision reports that year reiterated the high regard in which he was held, and the qualities which made him such a rewarding student: "It's not in every supervision you argue the merits of Kant and Mishima Yukio," reads one. " Björn is working on his dissertation with the skill, and twice the energy, of a talented young PhD," reads another. Björn spent last academic year in a programme of "diligent study" in Management, building on another interest he had first developed in high school. I was on research leave last year, so did not have any direct contact with him, but I heard that he was flourishing, and that this year he was about to embark on an MPhil in European literature. My knowledge of Björn comes from the two years he spent in the Oriental Faculty, and I will always feel fortunate to have come into contact with him. His passing leaves me with a deep sense of loss, not only because of his intellectual gifts but for his tenacity, his perceptiveness, curiosity, courtesy and his wit. In my memory I see him, leaning forward slightly as he sat in the chair in my room, often serious and intense as he discussed his plans, but sometimes breaking into an engaging, mischievous smile. It is that smile that I remember most vividly. Now we are here to celebrate him and the things he loved, and to be thankful for all that he was.