Michael Lapidge
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Michael Lapidge, FBA (born 8 February 1942) is a scholar in the field of
Medieval Latin Medieval Latin was the form of Literary Latin used in Roman Catholic Western Europe during the Middle Ages. In this region it served as the primary written language, though local languages were also written to varying degrees. Latin functioned ...
literature, particularly that composed in
Anglo-Saxon England Anglo-Saxon England or Early Medieval England, existing from the 5th to the 11th centuries from the end of Roman Britain until the Norman conquest in 1066, consisted of various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms until 927, when it was united as the Kingdom o ...
during the period 600–1100 AD; he is an emeritus Fellow of
Clare College, Cambridge Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refound ...
, a
Fellow of the British Academy Fellowship of the British Academy (FBA) is an award granted by the British Academy to leading academics for their distinction in the humanities and social sciences. The categories are: # Fellows – scholars resident in the United Kingdom # C ...
, and winner of the 2009
Sir Israel Gollancz Prize Sir Israel Gollancz Prize is awarded biannually by the British Academy in honour of Israel Gollancz, a founder member and its first secretary, since 1924. Originally named "Biennial Prize for English Literature" and renamed after Gollancz's death ...
.


Education and career

Lapidge completed his B.A. at the
University of Calgary The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...
and taught there for three years after completing an M.A. (U of Alberta), before going to the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
in 1967 to begin work on a Ph.D. in the Centre for Medieval Studies. His doctoral dissertation, supervised by Brian Stock, studied the transmission of a nexus of cosmological metaphors, first articulated by Greek Stoic philosophers, to classical and late antique Latin poets, and ultimately to Medieval Latin philosophers and poets of the twelfth century. After completing course-work in Toronto, he went to Cambridge in 1969 to have better access to manuscript depositories while completing his dissertation. The Ph.D. was awarded in 1971. Following a period as a Research Fellow in Cambridge supported by a Killam Senior Research Fellowship, he was appointed Lecturer in the
Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic, University of Cambridge The Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic (ASNC or, informally, ASNaC) is one of the constituent departments of the University of Cambridge, and focuses on the history, material culture, languages and literatures of the various peoples who i ...
in 1974, thereafter progressing to be Reader in Insular Latin Literature (1988) and then, in 1991,
Elrington and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon The Elrington and Bosworth Professorship of Anglo-Saxon is the senior professorship in Anglo-Saxon at the University of Cambridge. The first chair was elected in 1878, when a gift endowed in 1867 by Joseph Bosworth, Rawlinsonian Professor of Angl ...
, a chair which he held until 1998. During this time he was able, as Head of Department, to increase the size of the Department and to introduce a number of significant structural changes to its teaching programme. He resigned the Professorship in 1999 in order to become Notre Dame Professor of English at the
University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...
, a position he held until taking early retirement in 2004.


Publications

Lapidge has written or edited more than fifty books and published some 200 articles, on subjects ranging from Greek
cosmology Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount (lexicographer), Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', and in 1731 taken up in ...
and
Classical Latin literature Classical may refer to: European antiquity *Classical antiquity, a period of history from roughly the 7th or 8th century B.C.E. to the 5th century C.E. centered on the Mediterranean Sea *Classical architecture, architecture derived from Greek and ...
to medieval
palaeography Palaeography (American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, UK) or paleography (American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, US; ultimately from grc-gre, , ''palaiós'', "old", and , ''gráphein'', "to write") ...
and
textual criticism Textual criticism is a branch of textual scholarship, philology, and of literary criticism that is concerned with the identification of textual variants, or different versions, of either manuscripts or of printed books. Such texts may range in ...
, especially the literature of Anglo-Saxon England, in both Latin and Old English. He is, for instance, an expert on the ''
Leiden Glossary The ''Leiden Glossary'' is a glossary contained in a manuscript in Leiden University Library in the Netherlands, Voss. Lat. Q. 69. The lemmata ( headwords) come from "a range of biblical, grammatical, and patristic texts".Lapidge, ''Anglo-Saxon Li ...
''. He has devoted much of his scholarly energy to editing scholarly journals and series, having been general editor for many years of ''
Anglo-Saxon England Anglo-Saxon England or Early Medieval England, existing from the 5th to the 11th centuries from the end of Roman Britain until the Norman conquest in 1066, consisted of various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms until 927, when it was united as the Kingdom o ...
'', ''
Oxford Medieval Texts Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...
'', ''Scriptores Latini Hiberniae'', and '' Henry Bradshaw Society Publications'', as well as ''Compendium Auctorum Latinorum Medii Aevi (C.A.L.M.A.)'' and ''Cambridge Studies in Anglo-Saxon England'' (both of which he founded). In 2002, he delivered the Triennial E. A. Lowe Lectures at Corpus Christi College,
University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...
, speaking on the topic of "The Anglo-Saxon Library"; a revised version of his lectures was published by Oxford University Press.


Awards

Lapidge was awarded the 2009
Sir Israel Gollancz Prize Sir Israel Gollancz Prize is awarded biannually by the British Academy in honour of Israel Gollancz, a founder member and its first secretary, since 1924. Originally named "Biennial Prize for English Literature" and renamed after Gollancz's death ...
from the
British Academy The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars span ...
for his work as "a world authority on
Anglo-Saxon literature Old English literature refers to poetry and prose written in Old English in early medieval England, from the 7th century to the decades after the Norman Conquest of 1066, a period often termed Anglo-Saxon England. The 7th-century work '' Cædmo ...
." He was awarded the degree of
Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Docto ...
(Litt.D.) by the University of Cambridge in 1987; in 2011 he was awarded the
honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
of D.Litt. by the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
. He is a corresponding fellow both of the Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften (
Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
) and the
Accademia dei Lincei The Accademia dei Lincei (; literally the "Academy of the Lynx-Eyed", but anglicised as the Lincean Academy) is one of the oldest and most prestigious European scientific institutions, located at the Palazzo Corsini on the Via della Lungara in Rom ...
(
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
) and is vice-president of the International Society for the Study of Medieval Latin Culture (SISMEL).Società Internazionale per lo Studio del Medioevo Latino


Bibliography

* ''Aldhelm: The Prose Works'', trans. with Michael Herren (Ipswich: Brewer, 1979). * ''Alfred the Great'', trans. with Simon Keynes (Harmondsworth:
Penguin Penguins (order (biology), order List of Sphenisciformes by population, Sphenisciformes , family (biology), family Spheniscidae ) are a group of Water bird, aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: on ...
, 1983). * ''Gildas: New Approaches'', ed. with David Dumville (Woodbridge:
Boydell Press Boydell & Brewer is an academic press based in Woodbridge, Suffolk, England, that specializes in publishing historical and critical works. In addition to British and general history, the company publishes three series devoted to studies, editio ...
, 1984). * ''Aldhelm: The Poetic Works'', trans. with James L. Rosier (Woodbridge: D. S. Brewer, 1985). * ''Learning and literature in Anglo-Saxon England: Studies presented to Peter Clemoes on the Occasion of his Sixty-fifth Birthday'', ed. with Helmut Gneuss (Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press A university press is an academic publishing hou ...
, 1985). * ''A Bibliography of Celtic Latin Literature 400–1200'', with Richard Sharpe (Dublin:
Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ga, Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned socie ...
, 1985). * ''Cambridge Companion to Old English Literature'', ed. with Malcolm Godden (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999, 2013). * ''Wulfstan of Winchester: The Life of St Æthelwold'', ed. with Michael Winterbottom (Oxford:
Clarendon Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, 1991). * ''Anglo-Saxon Litanies of the Saints'' (Woodbridge: Published for the
Henry Bradshaw Society The Henry Bradshaw Society is a British-based text publication society founded in 1890 for the scholarly editing and publication of rare liturgical texts. Foundation An initial meeting to plan the Henry Bradshaw Society took place in London on 3 ...
by Boydell Press, 1991). * ''Anglo-Latin Literature 900–1066'', (London: Hambledon Press, 1993). * ''Biblical Commentaries from the Canterbury School of Theodore and Hadrian'', ed. with Bernhard Bischoff (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994). * ''Archbishop Theodore: Commemorative Studies on his Life and Influence'', ed. Michael Lapidge (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995). * ''Byrhtferth’s Enchiridion'', ed. with Peter S. Baker (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995). * ''Anglo-Latin Literature 600–899'' (London: Hambledon Press, 1996). * ''Studies in Early Mediaeval Latin Glossaries'', by W. M. Lindsay, ed. Michael Lapidge (Aldershot:
Variorum A variorum, short for ''(editio) cum notis variorum'', is a work that collates all known variants of a text. It is a work of textual criticism, whereby all variations and emendations are set side by side so that a reader can track how textual deci ...
, 1996). * ''Columbanus: Studies on the Latin Writings'' (ed.) (Woodbridge: Boydell Press, 1997). * ''Collectanea Pseudo-Bedae'', ed. with Martha Bayless et al. (Dublin: Dublin Institute, 1998). * ''The Blackwell encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England'', ed. Michael Lapidge et al. (Oxford:
Blackwell Blackwell may refer to: Places ;Canada * Blackwell, Ontario ;United Kingdom * Blackwell, County Durham, England * Blackwell, Carlisle, Cumbria, England * Blackwell (historic house), South Lakeland, Cumbria, England * Blackwell, Bolsover, Alfre ...
, 1999). * ''Apomnēmoneumata: Recollections of a Medieval Latinist'' by F. J. E. Raby, ed. Michael Lapidge (Firenze: SISMEL - Edizioni del Galluzzo, 2002). * ''Interpreters of Early Medieval Britain'' (ed.) (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002). * ''The Cult of St Swithun'', (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2003). * ''Aspects of the Language of Latin Prose'', ed. Tobias Reinhardt, Michael Lapidge and J. N. Adams (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005). * ''Histoire ecclésiastique du peuple anglais: Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum'' by Bède, introduction and notes by André Crépin, edition by Michael Lapidge, trans. Pierre Monat and Philippe Robin (Paris: Cerf, 2005). * ''The Anglo-Saxon Library'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006). * ''Storia degli inglesi: Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum'' by Beda; a cura di Michael Lapidge; traduzione di Paolo Chiesa, 2 vols. (Rome: Fondazione Lorenzo Valla; Milan: A. Mondadori, 2008-2010). * ''Byrhtferth of Ramsey: The Lives of St Oswald and St Ecgwine'' (ed. and trans) (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2009). * ''The Early Lives of St Dunstan'', ed. and trans. with Michael Winterbottom (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2012). * ''Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: A Bibliographical Handlist of Manuscripts and Manuscript Fragments written or owned in England up to 1100'', with Helmet Gneuss (Toronto:
University of Toronto Press The University of Toronto Press is a Canadian university press founded in 1901. Although it was founded in 1901, the press did not actually publish any books until 1911. The press originally printed only examination books and the university cale ...
, 2014). * ''H. M. Chadwick and the Study of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic in Cambridge'' (ed.) (CMCS, Department of Welsh, Aberystwyth University, 2015). * ''Hilduin of Saint-Denis: The'' Passio S. Dionysii ''in Prose and Verse'' (Leiden:
Brill Brill may refer to: Places * Brielle (sometimes "Den Briel"), a town in the western Netherlands * Brill, Buckinghamshire, a village in England * Brill, Cornwall, a small village to the west of Constantine, Cornwall, UK * Brill, Wisconsin, an un ...
, 2017) * ''The Roman Martyrs'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018) * ''Bede's Latin Poetry'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lapidge, Michael Fellows of Clare College, Cambridge 1942 births Fellows of the British Academy Living people 20th-century Canadian historians Canadian male non-fiction writers Canadian medievalists Linguists from Canada Canadian palaeographers Elrington and Bosworth Professors of Anglo-Saxon University of Calgary alumni University of Alberta alumni University of Calgary faculty University of Toronto alumni University of Notre Dame faculty 21st-century Canadian historians