John Northam
John Richard Northam (12 January 1922 – 5 July 2004[1][2]) was a professor emeritus of literature and drama, ranked among the foremost Ibsen scholars in the world.[3]
Biography
Northam attended St Olave’s Grammar School in London and in 1941 received a scholarship to Clare College, Cambridge to read Classics from 1941 to 1942,[2] then English between 1946 and 1948. In 1950 he was made a Fellow of Clare College,[4] where he supervised Norman Podhoretz, the American who went on to become a notable writer. In 1953 Northam was awarded a Ph.D. and a lectureship in the Faculty of English at Cambridge. In 1972 he left Cambridge to become a Professor of Modern and Comparative Drama at the University of Bristol.[2]
His books Ibsen’s Dramatic Method (1953), in which he notably outlines the hidden visual suggestions and parallel characterisations used by the playwright, and Ibsen: A Critical Study (1973), are still counted as standard works. He has been celebrated for capturing the poetry, humour and wisdom of Ibsen's Poems (1871) and verse drama Peer Gynt (1867); for his remarkable translations of the Epic Brand, a long epic poem unfinished from the playwright’s hand, and also the dramatic 1866 play Brand. He also provided composer and producer Kjell-Ole Haune with a translation of Ibsen's poem Terje Vigen that was developed into a multi media musical in 2006. This translation was published in 2006.
His son is the award-winning actor Jeremy Northam, who played Ivor Novello in Robert Altman's Gosford Park.
Bibliography
- Ibsen’s Dramatic Method. A Study of the Prose Dramas. Faber and Faber. London 1953.
- Ibsen’s Dramatic Method. A Study of the Prose Dramas. (2nd Edition). Universitetsforlaget. Oslo 1971.
- Ibsen: A Critical Study. Cambridge University Press 1973.
- Terje Vigen by Henrik Ibsen. KOH Ltd, London 2006 ISBN 978-0-9552306-0-8
Translations
- Ibsen’s Poems. Scandinavian University Press. Oslo 1986. ISBN 82-00-07455-2.
- Peer Gynt. A Dramatic Poem. Scandinavian University Press. Oslo 1995. ISBN 82-00-22496-1.
- Terje Vigen by Henrik Ibsen. KOH Ltd, London 2006 ISBN 978-0-9552306-0-8
External links
- The Collected Poems of Henrik Ibsen in John Northam’s translation, or rather recreation.
References
- ^ "Lives in Brief". www.thetimes.com. 2004-08-04. Retrieved 2025-11-03.
- ^ a b c "Click here to view the tribute page for John NORTHAM". funeral-notices.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-11-03.
- ^ "Literal". literal.club. Retrieved 2025-11-03.
- ^ "Papers of John Northam - Clare College Cambridge - AtoM". clarecollege.maxarchiveservices.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-11-03.