The energy, range and intellectual brilliance of Eva Kolinsky, who has died aged 65, illuminated German studies during that vibrant and innovative period which led to, and beyond, the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and unity in 1990. The professor of modern German studies at Keele University from 1991 until her retirement in 1999, she published six books and was one of the most influential figures in her field in Britain.