Robert James "Bob" Niemi ( April 17, 1955- September 17, 2022) from

Fitchburg, Massachusetts Fitchburg is a city in northern Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The third-largest city in the county, its population was 41,946 at the 2020 census. Fitchburg is home to Fitchburg State University as well as 17 public and private e ...

) was an American literary scholar, literary critic and author. Since 1990 he is professor of English at

Saint Michael's College Saint Michael's College (St. Mikes or Saint Michael's) is a private Roman Catholic college in Colchester, Vermont. Saint Michael's was founded in 1904 by the Society of Saint Edmund. It grants Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees ...

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colches ...

Life

Robert Niemi was born in 1955 in Fitchburg as one of three sons of Alfred A. Niemi and Anita Mary (Cormier) Niemi.
Interview with Robert Niemi
'. In: authorvoices.com, access date 28 January 2021. Niemi attended Fitchburg High School until 1973. In 1977 he graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in English at

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, it ...

. In 1978 he received the MSLS 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 ...

. At the University of Massachusetts Amherst he graduated with a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in English in 1988 and with his dissertation ''Music Out of an Abyss: A Critical Study of the Fiction of

Weldon Kees Harry Weldon Kees (February 24, 1914 – disappeared July 18, 1955) was an American poet, painter, literary critic, novelist, playwright, jazz pianist, short story writer, and filmmaker. Despite his brief career, Kees is considered an importa ...

'' he graduated with a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

in English in 1991. Since 1990 Niemi teaches on American Studies, American literature and cultural history, film studies, critical theory and popular culture studies at the

Colchester, Vermont Colchester is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of Colchester was 17,524. It is the fourth-most populous municipality and second-most populous town in the state of Vermont. Colchester bor ...

. In September 2012 the faculty awarded him the ''Scholarship and Artistic Achievement Award''. He has published several non-fiction books on literary, film and popular culture issues. Niemi has written books about

Russell Banks Russell Banks (born March 28, 1940) is an American writer of fiction and poetry. As a novelist, Banks is best known for his "detailed accounts of domestic strife and the daily struggles of ordinary often-marginalized characters". His stories usua ...

, the

Beat Generation The Beat Generation was a literary subculture movement started by a group of authors whose work explored and influenced American culture and politics in the post-war era. The bulk of their work was published and popularized by Silent Generatio ...

, filmmaker

Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a five-time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director and is considered an enduring figure from the New H ...

as part of the ''Directors' Cuts'' series of

Columbia University Press Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by Jennifer Crewe (2014–present) and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fiel ...

and the genre of the

War film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about naval, air, or land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle scenes means that war fi ...

with his genre overview ''100 Great War Movies: The Real History Behind the Film''.Edward Whatley:
Book Review: 100 Great War Movies: The Real History Behind the Films
'. In: Reference & User Services Quarterly, Vol. 58, n. 2, p. 124-125, January 2019. ISSN 1094-9054. He also published articles, book reviews and encyclopedic entries. Niemi ist married to Constance "Connie" Dufour and lives in

Essex Junction, Vermont Essex Junction is a city in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 10,590. It was incorporated as a village on November 15, 1892. Essex Junction became Vermont’s 10th city on July 1, 2022. Am ...

Selected works

* with Daniel Gillane: ''The Bibliography of Weldon Kees''. Jackson, Mississippi, Parrish House, 1997. * ''Russell Banks''. New York, Twayne Publishers; London, Prentice Hall International, 1997, . * ''History in the Media: Film and Television''. 1st edition , Santa Barbara, California, ABC-CLIO, 2006, . * ''The Ultimate, Illustrated Chronology of the Beats''. (2011) Berkeley, California, Soft Skull Press, 2011, . * ''Inspired by True Events: An Illustrated Guide to More Than 500 History-Based Films''. Santa Barbara, California, ABC-CLIO, 2013, . * ''The Cinema of Robert Altman: Hollywood Maverick''. New York, Columbia University Press, 2016, . * ''100 Great War Movies: The Real History Behind the Films''. Santa Barbara, California, ABC-CLIO, 2018, .

References

External links

Robert Niemi, Professor of English
at

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Niemi, Robert 1955 births Living people American writers Literary scholars American literary critics Saint Michael's College faculty University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni Columbia University School of Library Service alumni People from Fitchburg, Massachusetts