A Center for Research and Publication

The Kierkegaard Library is a special collection that serves students, scholars and anyone interested in the writings and ideas of Søren Kierkegaard, the 19th-century Danish philosopher, and related thinkers.

The collection stands as an international center for scholarship of Kierkegaard and of existentialism more broadly, including approximately twenty thousand book volumes. Many of these comprise a collection of editions matching those owned by Kierkegaard himself as a part of the Library’s ongoing goal of recreating the philosopher’s own library. The Library also holds  collections of periodical articles, newspaper articles, and archival materials related to Kierkegaard studies, the history of the Library, and the biographies of Howard and Edna Hong. As a study and publication center, it especially welcomes all with a serious interest in Kierkegaard research.

Because of the Hong Kierkegaard Library’s international prominence, the collection hosts an increasingly diverse community of scholars. In the past several years, scholars from six continents have called the Library home. Their fields have varied greatly, ranging from postcolonial studies to epistemology to translation work. The collection’s resources and organization allow for the existence of a diverse group of scholars who gather to further their academic research and meaningfully engage with other scholars.

Consider spending research time in the library. Click on the Programs tab on the left for specific information on the various opportunities along with a list of scholars from all over the country and the world who have made use of its excellent resources.

A portrait of Kierkegaard that hangs in the library