The strong man and the ballad: Robert Spindler's fascinating life

The strong man and the ballad: Robert Spindler's fascinating life

Robert Spindler, Anglist and literary scholar from Tyrol, has an exciting side employment as a "Strongman" in addition to his academic career. This combination may seem unusual at first glance, but is a personal form of expression of the versatile. Spindler appears in open -air museums, at castle festivals and similar events, where he thrives the audience through his fascination with the 19th century curiosity cabinet.

His performances are a spectacle that awakens memories of fairs, where, for example, he bends horseshoes with his bare hands. "When I announced my appearances, a crowd usually gathers and wants to see what happens. It is a mixture of nostalgia and smell," explains Spindler. This reflects his passion, which is closely linked with his scientific work on English ballads of the early modern period.

fascination for ballads

The treasures of his research finds Spindler in the "Broadside Ballads", which were the first printed texts also accessible to the simple people. Locations such as the University of Oxford house the largest collection of these ballads, to which he came to the university through a Schrödinger scholarship. Spindler explains: "Almost all of the countless ballads that are preserved can be assigned to a very small number of formulaic narrative structures." These ballads often tell of lawless and adventurers who defy the norms of their time.

A central concern of the literary scholar is to find out how stories are built up and which archetypal elements are repeated. This access, which already accompanied him in his doctoral thesis, shows up in his latest research project, which is devoted to the body of American ballads. He particularly mentions the famous pirate John Warde, around whom many ballads are about, and his influence on modern figures such as Jack Sparrow from "Curse of Caribbean".

Spindler's topic combines with his personal preference for adventure. Already in childhood he captivated stories of pirates and heroes who asserted themselves against adversity. This passion also led him to the world of strength port and ultimately to his appearances as "Strongman".

Mastering double life

The balance between research, appearances and family life is a challenge for Spindler. "I avoid distraction and do without a smartphone," he describes his strategies for efficiency. With an orderly lifestyle, he wants to contribute to society and possibly arouse interest in literature with a wider audience.

He is convinced that literature can also attract people from less academic layers. "The world literature is full of" Strongmen "," he emphasizes, referring to Jack London's "Seewolf", a role that is particularly appealing. Spindler shows how versatile you can be in today's world and combine tradition with modernity and science with entertainment in your life.