John Victor Luce (21 May 1920 – 11 February 2011) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

classicist, former professor and emeritus

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of Classics at

Trinity College Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

. He was also the College's Public Orator between 1971 and 2005. Luce entered Trinity in 1938 to read Classics, and was elected a Scholar in his first year, a highly unusual achievement. He took a double Moderatorship in Classics and Philosophy and was awarded Gold Medals for both subjects. He was Auditor of the College Classical Society in 1942–43. He was elected a Fellow of Trinity in 1948 and served as Erasmus Smith's Professor of Oratory until 1989. John Luce was the son of Arthur Aston Luce, the longest serving fellow of TCD, nephew of Gordon Hannington Luce, the noted scholar of Burmese and Asian History and Bloomsbury group member, first cousin of Rex Warner, classicist and author of novels such as the Airodrome. An avid sportsman in his youth represented Ireland in Hockey in the 1940s, and also played Squash and Cricket. He was a keen Chess player and played for Rathmines Chess Club in the Leinster Leagues.

Partial bibliography

*''The End of

Atlantis Atlantis ( grc, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, , island of Atlas) is a fictional island mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works '' Timaeus'' and '' Critias'', wherein it represents the antagonist naval power that b ...

: New Light on an Old Legend'', London 1969 *''The Quest for Ulysses'' (with

William Bedell Stanford William Bedell Stanford (16 January 1910 – 30 December 1984) was an Irish classical scholar and senator. He was Regius Professor of Greek at Trinity College Dublin between 1940 and 1980 and served as the 22nd chancellor of the university betwee ...

), London 1974 *''

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

and the Heroic Age'', London 1975 *''Trinity College Dublin: The First 400 Years'', Dublin 1991 *''An Introduction to Greek Philosophy'', London 1992 *''Orationes Dublinienses Selectae (1971-1990)'', Dublin 1991 *''Celebrating Homer's Landscapes: Troy and Ithaca Revisited'', New Haven 1999 *''Orationes Dublinienses Selectae II (1990-2002)'', Dublin 2004

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Luce, John Victor 1920 births 2011 deaths Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Classical scholars of Trinity College Dublin Fellows of Trinity College Dublin Irish classical scholars 20th-century Irish historians 21st-century Irish historians Public orators Scholars of ancient Greek literature Scholars of Trinity College Dublin