David Adams Leeming (born February 26, 1937) is an American

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...

who is Professor Emeritus of English and Comparative Literature at the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...

, and a specialist in comparative literature of mythology.

Biography

David Adams Leeming was born on February 26, 1937 in

Peekskill, New York Peekskill is a city in northwestern Westchester County, New York, United States, from New York City. Established as a village in 1816, it was incorporated as a city in 1940. It lies on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River, across fro ...

, the son of Frank Clifford Leeming, an Episcopal priest, and Margaret Adams Reeder. Leeming received his A.B. from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

in 1958. In 1959 he did a summer course graduate study at the

University of Caen The University of Caen Normandy (French: ''Université de Caen Normandie''), also known as Unicaen, is a public university in Caen, France. History The institution was founded in 1432 by John of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford, the first rector ...

. From

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

he received his M.A. in 1964, and his Ph.D. in 1970. Leeming was Head of the English Department at

Robert College The American Robert College of Istanbul ( tr, İstanbul Özel Amerikan Robert Lisesi or ), often shortened to Robert, or RC, is a Selective school, highly selective, Independent school, independent, mixed-sex education, co-educational Secondary ...

in Istanbul, Turkey from 1958 to 1963. From 1964 to 1967 he was the secretary-assistant of author

James Baldwin James Arthur Baldwin (August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987) was an American writer. He garnered acclaim across various media, including essays, novels, plays, and poems. His first novel, '' Go Tell It on the Mountain'', was published in 1953; de ...

. Since 1969 Leeming was Assistant Professor of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

at the

. He eventually became Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of Connecticut, where he in later years has served as Professor Emeritus. Leeming has written variously in comparative literature of

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...

and edited numerous encyclopedias and dictionaries on the subject. He has also written biographies on

Beauford Delaney Beauford Delaney (December 30, 1901 – March 26, 1979) was an American modernist painter. He is remembered for his work with the Harlem Renaissance in the 1930s and 1940s, as well as his later works in abstract expressionism following his move ...

, and

Stephen Spender Sir Stephen Harold Spender (28 February 1909 – 16 July 1995) was an English poet, novelist and essayist whose work concentrated on themes of social injustice and the class struggle. He was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry by the ...

. Leeming is a member of the

Modern Language Association The Modern Language Association of America, often referred to as the Modern Language Association (MLA), is widely considered the principal professional association in the United States for scholars of language and literature. The MLA aims to "st ...

of America and the Federation of University Teachers. Leeming married Pamela Elaine Fraser on July 2, 1967, with whom he has the daughters Margaret Adams and Juliet Ann.

Selected bibliography

*''Flights: Readings in Magic, Mysticism, Fantasy, and Myth'', 1974. *''Mythology'', 1973. * ''The World of Myth'', 1990. *''James Baldwin: A Biography'', 1994. *''A Dictionary of Asian Mythology'', 2001. *''Myth: A Biography of Belief,'' 2002. *''From Olympus to Camelot: The World of European Mythology'', 2003.

References

External links

David Adams Leeming
at

LibraryThing LibraryThing is a social cataloging web application for storing and sharing book catalogs and various types of book metadata. It is used by authors, individuals, libraries, and publishers. Based in Portland, Maine, LibraryThing was developed by ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leeming, David Adams 1937 births 21st-century American biographers American lexicographers American philologists Mythographers New York University alumni People from Peekskill, New York Princeton University alumni University of Connecticut faculty Writers from New York (state) Living people Academics from New York (state)