Hong Kierkegaard Library

The Howard V. and Edna H. Hong Kierkegaard Library is a research collection dedicated to the work of the 19th-century Danish philosopher and theologian Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855), housed at St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota. Along with the Søren Kierkegaard Research Center at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, it is one of two internationally significant research facilities devoted to the study of Kierkegaard.

The collection began as the private library of Howard V. Hong and Edna H. Hong, assembled during their complete translation of Kierkegaard's writings into English, the first volume of which received the National Book Award.[1][2] The Hongs donated the collection to St. Olaf College in 1976 with the understanding that it be made available as a center for research and publication. The library's current holdings include over 11,000 volumes, 3,500 periodical articles and a partial replication of Kierkegaard's personal library as well as titles Kierkegaard might have had access to during his lifetime. It hosts visiting researchers throughout the year (including an active summer fellows program) and periodic conferences and research seminars. The current director of the library is Gordon D. Marino.[3]

Each year, St. Olaf students publish The Reed, an undergraduate journal of existential philosophy, from the Hong library. The Reed is the only international undergraduate journal of existential philosophy in the world, and takes submissions each year from students all over the world.