Robert Lamont Belknap (December 23, 1929 – March 17, 2014) was an American scholar of Russian literature. He was a professor at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, where he served as interim dean of Columbia College, and director of the

Harriman Institute The Harriman Institute, the first academic center in the United States devoted to the interdisciplinary study of Russia and the Soviet Union, was founded at Columbia University in 1946, with the support of the Rockefeller Foundation, as the Russia ...

. He received a

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...

in 1994.

Biography

Belknap was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

on December 23, 1929 to lawyer Chauncey Belknap and his wife Dorothy Lamont, daughter of United States Secretary of Commerce and head of the American Iron and Steel Institute Robert P. Lamont. He was educated at the Buckley School,

Philips Exeter Academy (not for oneself) la, Finis Origine Pendet (The End Depends Upon the Beginning) gr, Χάριτι Θεοῦ (By the Grace of God) , location = 20 Main Street , city = Exeter, New Hampshire , zipcode ...

, and graduated 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 1951. At Princeton, he roomed with

Allen Dulles Allen Welsh Dulles (, ; April 7, 1893 – January 29, 1969) was the first civilian Director of Central Intelligence (DCI), and its longest-serving director to date. As head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) during the early Cold War, he ov ...

and was a member of the

Quadrangle Club The Princeton Quadrangle Club, often abbreviated to "Quad", is one of the eleven eating clubs at Princeton University that remain open. Located at 33 Prospect Avenue, the club is currently "sign-in," meaning it permits any second semester sophom ...

. He received his M.A. from the

School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University The School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University (SIPA) is the List of schools of international relations in the United States, international affairs and public policy school, public policy school of Columbia University, a pri ...

and Ph.D. from

following army service. He also studied at the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

and the

University of Leningrad Saint Petersburg State University (SPBU; russian: Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the G ...

. Belknap began teaching at Columbia in 1956, and served as interim dean in 1975, and director of the

from 1977 to 1980. A scholar of Russian literature, he specialized in the works of

Fyodor Dostoevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (, ; rus, Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский, Fyódor Mikháylovich Dostoyévskiy, p=ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ dəstɐˈjefskʲɪj, a=ru-Dostoevsky.ogg, links=yes; 11 November 18219 ...

, notably on '' The Brothers Karamazov''. His work is considered as one of the best studies on Dostoevsky produced by the present generation of scholars. Belknap served as chairman of the board of the

Brearley School The Brearley School is an all-girls private school in New York City, located on the Upper East Side neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan. The school is divided into lower (kindergarten – grade 4), middle (grades 5–8) and upper (grades 9– ...

. Belknap was married to historian and academic

Cynthia Whittaker Cynthia Hyla Whittaker (born 1942) is an American academic and author. As a historian, she specializes in the history of Eastern Europe, especially the Russian Empire and of the Soviet Union. She built her career while teaching courses in the sub ...

. He was a longtime resident of Wilton, Connecticut, and

Cliff Island, Maine Cliff Island is an island in Casco Bay, Maine, United States. It is part of the city of Portland. As of the 2000 census, the island had a year-round population of approximately 60 people. In the summer, the island's population grows to about ...

. He died on March 17, 2014, in

References

1929 births 2014 deaths {{DEFAULTSORT:Belknap, Robert L. Columbia University faculty Princeton University alumni School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University alumni Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni University of Paris alumni Saint Petersburg State University alumni Buckley School (New York City) alumni Phillips Exeter Academy alumni