Damrosch Named Professor of Comparative Literature

Cambridge, Mass. June 12, 2009 - David Damrosch, a scholar of world literature, has been appointed professor of comparative literature in Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences, effective July 1, 2009. "Professor Damrosch embraces a sweeping range of literature to find detailed connections across space and time," said Diana Sorensen, dean of arts and humanities in FAS. "He moves easily between languages and genres, linking history and culture to interrogate and re-imagine the study of world literature. We are delighted that he will join the community of scholars in the Department of Literature and Comparative Literature." Damrosch writes on a range of literature, from the ancient era to the modern; he works in a dozen languages, including Egyptian hieroglyphics, Nahuatl, and Old Norse. He is primarily interested in literary history and the way in which texts come to enter the modern construct known as "world literature." Damrosch argues that world literature should be understood as a "mode of global circulation and reading," rather than a specific set of texts. He has authored several books on the topic, including What is World Literature? (Princeton University Press, 2003) and How to Read World Literature (Wiley-Blackwell, 2008).