Ernst Honigmann was a major Shakespeare scholar who made important contributions to the fields of editing, biography and literary interpretation. Most notably, he controversially pursued the argument for Shakespeare’s ‘early start’ as dramatist, and he pioneered the approach that the playwright habitually revised his works. This memoir traces his academic development from an upbringing in an animal-centred, refugee family, through Glasgow, Oxford, and Newcastle upon Tyne where he held the Joseph Cowen Chair of English Literature. Some context explains his intellectual development and illuminates his memorable personality. He was a distinguished scholar, a supportive colleague, and a kind, compassionate man.
Posted to Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the British Academy, 23