Michael H. Black (7 June 1928 – 16 June 2022) was a British author and literary critic who held the position of university

Publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambridge University Pre ...

Early life and education

Black was born in 1928 in

Tempsford Tempsford is a village and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of the county of Bedfordshire, England, about east north-east of the county town of Bedford. The village is split by the A1 Great North Road and is located just befo ...

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...

. His parents, Norman Black and Frances Best, were both dental surgeons, originally from Scotland. He grew up in Falmouth, where he attended the Grammar School and, under the advice of his headmaster, sat the scholarship exam for Cambridge. He was awarded a minor scholarship to

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's full name is The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, near Cambridge. Its common name comes fr ...

. He graduated with a first in Modern Languages and English in 1951.Jesus: The Life of a Cambridge College, Granta Editions, 2007

Career

After military service in Austria, Black was appointed assistant secretary in September 1951. From 1965 until 1978 he held the role of chief editor, and from that time until his retirement in 1987, he held the title of University Publisher. Throughout his career Black's special interest was in developing the Press's English literature list. Black was a follower of

F.R. Leavis Frank Raymond "F. R." Leavis (14 July 1895 – 14 April 1978) was an English literary critic of the early-to-mid-twentieth century. He taught for much of his career at Downing College, Cambridge, and later at the University of York. Leavis ra ...

and published the reprints of Leavis' journal ''Scrutiny''. He was also editor of ''The Cambridge Quarterly''. Among the many achievements of Cambridge publishing in his time, was the edition of the complete works of

D.H. Lawrence David Herbert Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930) was an English writer, novelist, poet and essayist. His works reflect on modernity, industrialization, sexuality, emotional health, vitality, spontaneity and instinct. His best-k ...

, an author on whom he wrote four titles. He is a fellow of

Clare Hall, Cambridge Clare Hall is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. Founded in 1966 by Clare College, Clare Hall is a college for advanced study, admitting only postgraduate students alongside postdoctoral researchers and fellows. It ...

Publications

Black was active as a writer in the latter half of the twentieth century, primarily as a literary critic. His publications include: *''The Literature of Fidelity'' London : Chatto & Windus, 1975. *''Poetic Drama as Mirror of the Will'' London : Vision Press, 1977. *''Cambridge University Press: 1584-1984'' Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1984. *''D.H. Lawrence: the early fiction: a commentary'' Basingstoke : Macmillan, 1986. *''D.H. Lawrence: the early philosophical works: a commentary'' London : Macmillan, 1991. *''D.H. Lawrence, Sons and Lovers'' Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1992. *''Lawrence's England: the major fiction, 1913-20'' Basingstoke : Palgrave in association with St Antony's, Oxford, 2001. *''Learning to be a publisher: Cambridge University Press 1951-1987. Personal reminiscences'' Privately published, 2011

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Black, Michael 1928 births 2022 deaths British literary critics British book editors Fellows of Clare Hall, Cambridge Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge People from Central Bedfordshire District