Emma Clery, Professor in English, has been awarded the prestigious Rose Mary Crawshay Prize by the British Academy.
Professor Clery is recognised for her book Eighteen Hundred and Eleven: Poetry, Protest and Economic Crisis which takes a striking episode in Romantic-era culture as the basis for exploring poetry as a medium of political protest.
The awarding committee unanimously selected Professor Clery’s work for the Prize, highlighting that:
“It breaks new ground in fashioning an entirely original argumentative and literary-historical narrative form.”
Professor Clery commented:
“Eighteen Hundred and Eleven: Poetry, Protest and Economic Crisis is a study of Romantic-era literature with strong resonance for the present day,
“It aims to show the way a literary work can engage with and shape political realities in the aftermath of economic shock. I am thrilled and extremely honoured that the jury of the Rose Mary Crawshay Prize has judged the experiment a success.”
Established in 1888 by British philanthropist Rose Mary Crawshay, the Prize has been awarded by the British Academy annually since 1916 in recognition of the best work by a female scholar in the international field of English literature. Professor Clery joins Dame Hermione Lee and Dame Marina Warner on the long and illustrious list of winners.
The Prize will be awarded this year at a ceremony at the British Academy in central London on Tuesday 25 September.
