Peter R. Pouncey (born October 1, 1937) is an English author,
classicist
Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
, and former president of
Amherst College.
Biography
The son of a British father and a
French-British mother, he was born in
Tsingtao (now Qingdao), China.
At the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, after several dislocations and separations, his family reassembled in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. Pouncey was educated there in boarding schools and at
Oxford
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 ...
. For a time, he studied for the
Jesuit priesthood but ultimately experienced a loss of faith.
Shortly after obtaining a Ph.D. from
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 ...
in 1969, he was appointed assistant professor of Greek and Latin in the Classics Department. In 1972, he became Dean of
Columbia College. As Dean, he was a forceful advocate of coeducation, going so far as to hold a faculty vote without the knowledge of the university's president,
William McGill. McGill rejected the proposal, due to concerns about the future of
Barnard College
Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...
. In 1976, Pouncey resigned as Dean.
[, pages 527–528.] As a member of the Classics Department, he produced a number of notable works of scholarship, including the book ''The Necessities of War: A Study of Thucydides' Pessimism,'' which won the university's Lionel Trilling Award.
In 1984, he became President of
Amherst College. Upon his retirement in 1994, he returned to Columbia. His novel ''Rules for Old Men Waiting'' won the
McKitterick Prize and was nominated for the
Commonwealth Writers Prize
Commonwealth Foundation presented a number of prizes between 1987 and 2011. The main award was called the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and was composed of two prizes: the Best Book Prize (overall and regional) was awarded from 1987 to 2011; the Best ...
in 2006.
For many years, Pouncey divided his time between
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
and northern
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
.
Personal life
Pouncey has two biological children and one step-child. He has been married and divorced three times. His second wife, Susan Rieger, author of ''The Divorce Papers'' and ''The Heirs'', is a former administrator at Yale and Columbia Universities. Their daughter, Maggie Pouncey, is the author of the novel ''Perfect Reader.'' His third wife, Katherine Dalsimer, is a Clinical Professor of Psychology at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, and an author.
Works
*''The Necessities of War: A Study of Thucydides' Pessimism'', Columbia University Press, (1980)
*''Rules for Old Men Waiting'' (2005)
Further reading
Ward, John William. 1969 ''Red, White, and Blue: Men, Books, and Ideas in American Culture'' . New York: Oxford University Press
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pouncey, Peter
1937 births
Living people
Columbia University faculty
British writers
Presidents of Amherst College
Columbia University alumni
Alumni of the University of Oxford