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Dr Richard O'Brien

Assistant Professor

Department: Humanities

After an undergraduate degree in English and French, I was a member of the Shakespeare Institute (University of Birmingham)'s first MA cohort in Shakespeare and Creativity. My PhD, which included elements of original creative practice, looked at the impact of Shakespeare on the development of verse drama in English. Since then I've taught in both early modern literature and creative writing departments. I'm a specialist in formal poetry (though this isn't all I write or read!), with interests in influence and adaptation, and I teach on Creative Writing courses at all levels of the UG and PG curriculum.

Richard O'Brien

Over the last ten years I’ve published poems on a range of subjects, from ٴٴ to weird . My pamphlets have come out, or are forthcoming, with The Emma Press, , and Broken Sleep Books, and I’m working towards a full collection. In 2017, I was one of six winners of the Society of Authors’ Eric Gregory Awards for a collection of poems by an author under thirty. I'm currently working on a novel set in Nantes, France - a coming-of-age story with elements of urban fantasy - and a memoir about my relationship with my favourite band. I also write for children, for theatre (including musical theatre - I participate as a lyricist in the development scheme) and as an academic critic, focused on Shakespeare and early modern literature, and their reception by contemporary creators and audiences. Publications in this field include an article on fictional representations of Ben Jonson, a book chapter on 20th century adaptations of Volpone - including two musicals - and a book chapter on the unpleasant character of Shakespeare in Upstart Crow ԻSomething Rotten. My practice-led PhD research was on Shakespeare and the development of verse drama. 

  • Barry Marshall ‘Present Absences and the Roar of Silence’: Writing about Contemporary UK Working-Class Identity Through the Mnemonic Liminality of Village Spaces Start Date: 02/10/2024
  • Rebecca Ferrier Suffer, Pilgrim: How can a work of historical fiction explore pilgrimage narratives, with particular focus on the relationship between suffering and virtue? Start Date: 01/10/2023

English Literature PhD December 06 2017


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