James Poag, an emeritus professor and past chair of the Program in Germanic Languages and Literatures in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, passed away peacefully on Sunday, May 25, 2025, at his residence in Webster Groves, Mo. He was 90 years old.
A connoisseur of medieval German literature, Poag was recognized as an expert on Wolfram von Eschenbach, the 13th-century epic poet most renowned for the Arthurian tale “Parzival.” Poag also instructed German language classes at various levels, in addition to seminars on German literature and courses in religious studies and comparative literature.
Nurtured in Madison County, Ill., and brought up on Long Island, New York, Poag obtained both his undergraduate degree and doctorate from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He furthered his studies at the University of Vienna and the University of Bonn. Shortly after receiving his doctorate in 1961, Poag integrated into the faculty at Indiana University. He later received a Fulbright Award for research at the University of Göttingen (1964-65) and grants from the Humboldt Foundation to study at the University of Munich (1969) and the Philipps University of Marburg (1970).
Poag joined WashU as an associate professor in 1973 and was elevated to full professor the subsequent year. He chaired the German department from 1977 to 1983 and was a guest lecturer at the University of Tübingen in 1985 and 1988. Additionally, he established and led the undergraduate committee for the WashU German program and created a visiting program for teaching assistants. He was designated a professor emeritus in 2000 but continued to impart knowledge through WashU’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.
Notable publications include the critical work “Wolfram von Eschenbach” (1970) and two co-edited collections, “Das Weiterleben des Mittelalters in der deutschen Literatur” (1983, in collaboration with WashU’s Gerhild Scholz Williams) and “Entzauberung der Welt. Deutsche Literatur 1200-1500” (1988, with Thomas Fox). He also authored over a dozen journal articles and book chapters, as well as numerous reviews. He acted as a consulting editor for the journals Allegorica and Seminar.
Poag is survived by his spouse, Juliane Poag; children Andrew, Maili, and Stefan; along with grandsons Jackson and Benjamin. Memorial donations can be made to organizations aiding St. Louis tornado survivors or to a charity of choice.
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