Christopher Bigsby
Encyclopedia
Christopher Bigsby is a British
literary analyst and novelist, with more than forty books to his credit. Earlier in his writing career, his books were published under the name C. W. E. Bigsby.
Educated at the Universities of Sheffield
and Nottingham
, he is Professor of American Studies
at the University of East Anglia
in Norwich
, UK. He is also an occasional contributor to BBC Radio
, and presented Kaleidoscope (Radio 4
) for eight years in the 1980s. During this time, he collaborated with the writer Malcolm Bradbury
on an 8-part comedy series called 'Patterson', which followed the experiences of a new lecturer at a provincial university, and may have been partly autobiographical. Unusually this series was broadcast on Radio Three
. His first book was Confrontation and Commitment: A Study of Contemporary American Drama, 1959-66 (1967). One of Bigsby's recent novel
s, first published in March 2002, is the well-reviewed Beautiful Dreamer. His latest novel is One Hundred Days, One Hundred Nights, published August 23, 2007 by Methuen (ISBN: 0413776565).
Bigsby is also considered one of the world's best analysts of American theatre, and in particular the definitive commentator on playwright Arthur Miller
. Bigsby's books on Miller include, but are not limited to, Remembering Arthur Miller (2005), Arthur Miller & Company (1990), The Cambridge Companion to Arthur Miller (1997), and the definitive work on the great American
playwright
, the 514-page Arthur Miller: A Critical Study (2005). In November 2008, Bigsby published Arthur Miller
, a definitive biography of the eminent American playwright, based on boxes of papers Miller made available to him before his death in 2005, as well as countless interviews and conversations during a friendship with the playwright that lasted over three decades. Harvard University Press published the 739-page biography of Miller in the United States on May 21, 2009 and titled Arthur Miller 1915-1962. The second volume of Bigsby's biography of the playwright, Arthur Miller 1962-2005, is scheduled for release in February 2011.
In 2006 Bigsby published Remembering and Imagining the Holocaust: The Chain of Memory, a meditative study on memory and on the ways in which memory has operated in the work of writers for whom the Holocaust was a defining event. The book includes essays on Jean Améry
, Tadeusz Borowski
, Anne Frank
, Rolf Hochhuth
, Primo Levi
, Arthur Miller
, W.G. Sebald, Elie Wiesel
and Peter Weiss
Bigsby was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
in 2007.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
literary analyst and novelist, with more than forty books to his credit. Earlier in his writing career, his books were published under the name C. W. E. Bigsby.
Educated at the Universities of Sheffield
University of Sheffield
The University of Sheffield is a research university based in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the original 'red brick' universities and is a member of the Russell Group of leading research intensive universities...
and Nottingham
University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
, he is Professor of American Studies
American studies
American studies or American civilization is an interdisciplinary field dealing with the study of the United States. It traditionally incorporates the study of history, literature, and critical theory, but also includes fields as diverse as law, art, the media, film, religious studies, urban...
at the University of East Anglia
University of East Anglia
The University of East Anglia is a public research university based in Norwich, United Kingdom. It was established in 1963, and is a founder-member of the 1994 Group of research-intensive universities.-History:...
in Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
, UK. He is also an occasional contributor to BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
, and presented Kaleidoscope (Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
) for eight years in the 1980s. During this time, he collaborated with the writer Malcolm Bradbury
Malcolm Bradbury
Sir Malcolm Stanley Bradbury CBE was an English author and academic.-Life:Bradbury was the son of a railwayman. His family moved to London in 1935, but returned to Sheffield in 1941 with his brother and mother...
on an 8-part comedy series called 'Patterson', which followed the experiences of a new lecturer at a provincial university, and may have been partly autobiographical. Unusually this series was broadcast on Radio Three
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
. His first book was Confrontation and Commitment: A Study of Contemporary American Drama, 1959-66 (1967). One of Bigsby's recent novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s, first published in March 2002, is the well-reviewed Beautiful Dreamer. His latest novel is One Hundred Days, One Hundred Nights, published August 23, 2007 by Methuen (ISBN: 0413776565).
Bigsby is also considered one of the world's best analysts of American theatre, and in particular the definitive commentator on playwright Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller
Arthur Asher Miller was an American playwright and essayist. He was a prominent figure in American theatre, writing dramas that include plays such as All My Sons , Death of a Salesman , The Crucible , and A View from the Bridge .Miller was often in the public eye,...
. Bigsby's books on Miller include, but are not limited to, Remembering Arthur Miller (2005), Arthur Miller & Company (1990), The Cambridge Companion to Arthur Miller (1997), and the definitive work on the great American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, the 514-page Arthur Miller: A Critical Study (2005). In November 2008, Bigsby published Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller
Arthur Asher Miller was an American playwright and essayist. He was a prominent figure in American theatre, writing dramas that include plays such as All My Sons , Death of a Salesman , The Crucible , and A View from the Bridge .Miller was often in the public eye,...
, a definitive biography of the eminent American playwright, based on boxes of papers Miller made available to him before his death in 2005, as well as countless interviews and conversations during a friendship with the playwright that lasted over three decades. Harvard University Press published the 739-page biography of Miller in the United States on May 21, 2009 and titled Arthur Miller 1915-1962. The second volume of Bigsby's biography of the playwright, Arthur Miller 1962-2005, is scheduled for release in February 2011.
In 2006 Bigsby published Remembering and Imagining the Holocaust: The Chain of Memory, a meditative study on memory and on the ways in which memory has operated in the work of writers for whom the Holocaust was a defining event. The book includes essays on Jean Améry
Jean Améry
Jean Améry , born Hanns Chaim Mayer, was an Austrian-born essayist whose work was often informed by his experiences during World War II...
, Tadeusz Borowski
Tadeusz Borowski
Tadeusz Borowski was a Polish writer and journalist. His wartime poetry and stories dealing with his experiences as a prisoner at Auschwitz are recognized as classics of Polish literature and had much influence in Central European society.- Early life :...
, Anne Frank
Anne Frank
Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank is one of the most renowned and most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Acknowledged for the quality of her writing, her diary has become one of the world's most widely read books, and has been the basis for several plays and films.Born in the city of Frankfurt...
, Rolf Hochhuth
Rolf Hochhuth
Rolf Hochhuth is a German author and playwright. He is best known for his 1963 drama The Deputy and remains a controversial figure for his plays and other public comments, such as his insinuation of Pope Pius XII's sympathies for Hitler's extermination of the Jews in the 1963 play The Deputy and...
, Primo Levi
Primo Levi
Primo Michele Levi was an Italian Jewish chemist and writer. He was the author of two novels and several collections of short stories, essays, and poems, but is best known for If This Is a Man, his account of the year he spent as a prisoner in the Auschwitz concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Poland...
, Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller
Arthur Asher Miller was an American playwright and essayist. He was a prominent figure in American theatre, writing dramas that include plays such as All My Sons , Death of a Salesman , The Crucible , and A View from the Bridge .Miller was often in the public eye,...
, W.G. Sebald, Elie Wiesel
Elie Wiesel
Sir Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel KBE; born September 30, 1928) is a Hungarian-born Jewish-American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He is the author of 57 books, including Night, a work based on his experiences as a prisoner in the Auschwitz, Buna, and...
and Peter Weiss
Peter Weiss
Peter Ulrich Weiss was a German writer, painter, and artist of adopted Swedish nationality. He is particularly known for his plays Marat/Sade and The Investigation and his novel The Aesthetics of Resistance....
Bigsby was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
Royal Society of Literature
The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
in 2007.