Eric Sundquist (born 1952) is an American scholar of the

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

and

culture of the United States The culture of the United States of America is primarily of Western, and European origin, yet its influences includes the cultures of Asian American, African American, Latin American, and Native American peoples and their cultures. The Un ...

. Sundquist earned his B.A. from the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

(1974) and his Ph.D. from

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

(1978). Sundquist is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of the Humanities and former chair of the English Department at Johns Hopkins. He is a former member of the

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

Department of English, and was Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

Awards

Sundquist was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1997 for contributions to his field. In 2006 he received the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation's Distinguished Achievement Award, the largest research award in the humanities.

Personal life

Sundquist is a close personal friend of noted literary scholar and jazz musician Michael Colacurcio. Sundquist is also married and has a few stepchildren. He has quite a few grandchildren whom he loves and adores. He currently resides in Virginia with his wife.

Books

* ''King's Dream: The Legacy of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" Speech'' (2009) * ''Strangers in the Land: Blacks, Jews, Post-Holocaust America'' (2005)
''To Wake the Nations: Race in the Making of American Literature''
(1993), winner of the James Russell Lowell Prize from 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 ...

for best book published during the year, the Christian Gauss Award from

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

for the best book in the humanities, and a Choice Outstanding Academic Book Award. * ''The Hammers of Creation: Folk Culture in Modern African-American Fiction'' (1992) * ''Faulkner: The House Divided'' (1983) * ''Home as Found: Authority and Genealogy in Nineteenth-Century American Literature'' (1978)

References

External links

Faculty profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sundquist, Eric American literary critics Living people University of Kansas alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni University of California, Los Angeles faculty 1952 births