Donald Adamson
Donald Adamson | |
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Born | Culcheth, Lancashire, England | 30 March 1939
Died | 18 January 2024 Polperro, Cornwall, England | (aged 84)
Occupation | Author and historian |
Alma mater | Magdalen College, Oxford |
Genre | Literary romanticism |
Subject | History of literature, philosophy and biography |
Notable works | Blaise Pascal: Mathematician, Physicist, and Thinker about God |
Spouse | Helen née Griffiths (m. 1966) |
Children | 2 sons |
Website | |
www |
Donald Adamson,
Books which he wrote include
Biography
Born at
From 1949 to 1956 he attended
Adamson spent much of his teaching career at
In 1969 he joined
In 1989 he was elected a
Joining the
From 19 October 2012 until 11 October 2013 Adamson served as
His personal interests included the
Adamson contributed much on the
Scope of his writing
The Genesis of Le Cousin Pons, substantially the text of Adamson's (BLitt) thesis,[23] is a detailed study of the manuscript and proof-sheets of this very late work. Tracing the progress of the novel through its various editions, it reveals the full extent of Balzac's improvisation from novella to full-length masterpiece.
His historical writings fall into three categories: a
Adamson's study of one year in the life of the celebrated artist Oskar Kokoschka has been published to critical acclaim,[27][28] as have his recollections of Sir William Golding.[29]
Philosophy of literature
According to Adamson, literature does not need to fulfil any social mission or purpose;[30] yet, as with Émile Zola[31] or D. H. Lawrence, there is every reason why it can highlight social evils. A novel or novella – or a biography – is not merely an absorbing story: in Matthew Arnold's words, the best prose is, like poetry, "a criticism of life".[32] This means that they convey some sort of philosophy of the world (in Arnold's words, "How to live"[33][34]), though some writers, such as Adalbert Stifter[35] and Jane Austen (to whom, incidentally, he is related through his mother[36] do this less than most others, whilst on the other hand Samuel Beckett conveys a profoundly negative philosophy of life.
All too often, in Adamson's view, people go through their lives without living or seeking any belief which, for him, is the supreme attractiveness of Blaise Pascal, whose philosophy was of a unique kind: grounded in the vagaries of human nature;[37] not essentially seeking to convince by mathematics;[38] and foreshadowing Søren Kierkegaard[39] and 20th-century existentialism[40] in its appeal to human experience.
Honours and awards
Knight of Justice, Order of St John of Jerusalem[41]
Service Medal, Order of St John of Jerusalem (with bar)
Officier, Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Chevalier, Ordre des Palmes académiques
- Order pro Merito Melitensi
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
- Fellow of the Royal Historical Society
- Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London
- Honorary Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Linguists
Arms
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Bibliography
Within a study of the art of autobiography Adamson wrote an account of his own life, including his friendship with A.L. Rowse, with excerpts of the latter's correspondence.[43] Adamson has written eleven books as well as numerous articles.
- Books
- 1966: The Genesis of "Le Cousin Pons"[44]
- 1971: Dusty Heritage
- 1971: T. S. Eliot: a Memoir by Robert Sencourt (ed.)
- 1974: The House of Nell Gwyn: the fortunes of the Beauclerk family, 1670-1974 (jointly with Peter Beauclerk Dewar)
- 1980: A Rescue Policy for Museums
- 1981: Illusions Perdues
- 1988: Les Romantiques français devant la peinture espagnole
- (1990: republished as Interprètes français de la peinture espagnole à l'époque romantique)
- 1995: thinker about God[45]
- 1996: Rides Round Britain: the travel journals of John Byng (ed.)
- 2000: Modern History
- 2001: Balzac and the Tradition of the European Novel
- Translations
- 1970: Balzac's La Rabouilleuse)
- 1976: Balzac), 2nd edn 2015
- 1993: Maupassant's short stories
- Other works
- 1972: Balzac as Connoisseurs of Italian Art[46]
- 1982: Oxford University in the Eighteenth Century[47]
- 1989: The
- 1991: Old Goriot presented in Everyman Books
- 1992: La Réception de la Comédie humaine en Grande-Bretagne au XXe siècle[49]
- 2005: Pascal's Views on Mathematics and the Divine
- 2009: Oskar Kokoschka at Polperro
- 2010: William Golding Remembered
- 2010: Researching Kokoschka
- 2010: A Passage from Barcelona
- 2011:
- 2012: Meeting A.L. Rowse)
- 2013: Frank Heath, Artist of Polperro and Lamorna[52]
- 2014: Belonging to the Curriers' Company[53]
- 2014: A Curriers' Company, Part I[54]
- 2014: A Curriers' Company, Part II[55]
- 2014: Rowse and Trevor-Roper defined[56]
- 2014: Grand Masters: Part I[57]
- 2015: Grand Masters: Part II[58]
- 2015: In Memoriam: Raleigh Trevelyan[59]
- 2015: Cyprus: An Essay[60]
- 2015: Serendipity[61]
- 2016: A Visit to Venice[62]
- 2016: A Visit to Provence and Languedoc[63]
- 2016: The Godolphins[64]
- 2017: The Dukes of Leeds[65]
- 2017: Elba: Two Centuries On[66]
- 2018: Napoleon at Elba[67]
References
- ^ "Common Reading: Critics, Historians, Publics".
- ^ "Blaise Pascal: Mathematician, Physicist, and Thinker about God". Archived from the original on 8 November 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
- ^ "The Curriers' Company London History Essay Prize".
- ^ www.lysdanslavallee.fr
- ^ "Burke's Peerage & Baronetage, qv. BOOTH, Bt" (PDF).
- ^ www.burkespeerage.com
- ^ www.asc.ox.ac.uk
- ^ www.saintgeorgescofe.kent.sch.uk
- ^ www.ciol.org.uk
- ^ Weekly Hansard, no. 1054, Pt I, cols 325–336, 25 November 1976.
- ^ Hansard, Expenditure Committee, Third Report, Session 1977–78, pp. 128–136, 30 November 1977.
- ^ www.artfund.org
- ^ The London Gazette, 22 July 1998, p. 7984, col. 1.
- ^ www.royalhistsoc.org
- ^ "The Curriers' Company London History Essay Prize".
- ^ www.thelondonjournal.org
- ^ "www.curriers.co.uk Oasis Academies - Curriers' Co.". Archived from the original on 22 March 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
- ^ "Haberdashers' Company".
- ^ www.westminster.gov.uk
- ^ "Dr Donald Adamson JP FRSL". The Daily Telegraph. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "Thanksgiving Service". The Times. 17 April 2024. p. 47. Retrieved 21 April 2024. "A Service of Thanksgiving celebrating the life of Dr Donald Adamson JP FRSL was held at the Priory Church of St Bartholomew the Great, London EC1, on Monday 15th April 2024, led by the rector, the Revd Marcus Walker.
The Very Revd Robert Willis, Dean Emeritus of Canterbury, gave the address and readings were given by Mr Ian Michel, Master Currier, and the Revd James Power, Past Master Haberdasher.
Mrs Helen Adamson received, on behalf of her late husband, the insignia of l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres from Sébastien Bidaud, minister counsellor and deputy head of mission for the French Embassy to the United Kingdom.
Alderman Gregory Jones, the Earl of Erroll, Lord Haselhurst, Lord Murray of Blidworth and Sir Charles Hoare were also present among friends and family including Lady Bingham of Cornhill, Sir Edward Leigh and Professor Mark Watson-Gandy." - ^ Obituary. The Cornish Times. Hon. Jenico Preston. p. 33, 21 February 2024
- ^ www.bnf.fr
- ^ www.oxfordreference.com
- ^ www.vatican.va
- ^ www.foliosociety.com
- ^ Oskar Kokoschka at Polperro, "The Cornish Banner". November 2009.
- ^ Researching Kokoschka, "The Cornish Banner". November 2010.
- ^ William Golding Remembered "The Cornish Banner". February 2010.
- ^ Donald Adamson, Reference Guide to World Literature, 1995, vol. I, pp. 434–437, 458–460, 509–511.
- ^ Émile Zola, Germinal, 1885.
- ^ Matthew Arnold, Essays in Criticism, second series, 1888, "Wordsworth", p. 143.
- ^ Matthew Arnold, Essays in Criticism, second series, 1888, "Wordsworth", p. 144.
- ^ The Walking Penguin. "English Literature Essays". Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
- Bergkristall ("Rock Crystal"), Turmalin("Tourmaline"), 1853.
- ^ www.telegraph.co.uk
- ^ Donald Adamson, Blaise Pascal: Mathematician, Physicist, and Thinker about God, 1995, pp. 143–160.
- ^ Donald Adamson, Mathematics and the Divine: A Historical Study (ed. T. Koetsier and L. Bergmans), 2005, pp. 407–421.
- ^ Søren Kierkegaard, Either/Or, 1843.
- ^ Gabriel Marcel, The Mystery of Being, 1951.
- ^ "www.stjohnengland.org.uk". Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
- ^ www.gov.uk
- ^ Donald Adamson (February 2009). "A.L. Rowse: An Appreciation". The International Literary Quarterly.
- ^ "www.oxfordjournals.org". Archived from the original on 26 April 2014.
- ^ "Blaise Pascal: Mathematician, Physicist, and Thinker about God". Archived from the original on 8 November 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
- Leicester University Press, 1972.
- ^ The Three Banks Review, December 1982.
- ^ Ideology and Literature. Essays in Honour of Brian Juden.
- ^ L'Année Balzacienne, 1992.
- ^ St John in Cornwall, "The Cornish Banner". August 2011. Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
- ^ Meeting A.L. Rowse, "The Cornish Banner". February 2012. Archived from the original on 1 November 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
- ^ Frank Heath, Artist of Polperro and Lamorna, "The Cornish Banner". February 2013. Archived from the original on 1 November 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
- ^ Belonging to the Curriers' Company, "The Cornish Banner". February 2014. Archived from the original on 1 November 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
- ^ Master of the Curriers' Company, "The Cornish Banner". May 2014. Archived from the original on 1 November 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
- ^ Master of the Curriers' Company, "The Cornish Banner". August 2014.
- ^ Rowse and Trevor-Roper defined, "The Cornish Banner". August 2014. Archived from the original on 1 November 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
- ^ Malta, its Knights and Grand Masters, "The Cornish Banner". November 2014. Archived from the original on 1 November 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
- ^ Malta, its Knights and Grand Masters, "The Cornish Banner". February 2015.
- ^ In Memoriam: Raleigh Trevelyan, "The Cornish Banner". May 2015.
- ^ Cyprus: An Essay, "The Cornish Banner". August 2015.
- ^ Serendipity, "The Cornish Banner". November 2015.
- ^ A Visit to Venice, "The Cornish Banner". February 2016.
- ^ A Visit to Provence and Languedoc, "The Cornish Banner". August 2016.
- ^ The Godolphins, "The Cornish Banner". November 2016.
- ^ The Godolphins, "The Cornish Banner". February 2017.
- ^ Elba, "The Cornish Banner". August 2017.
- ^ Elba, "The Cornish Banner". November 2017.
External links
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