Derek Attridge came to York from Rutgers University in the USA in 1998 as Leverhulme Research Professor, and in 2003 became Professor of English. His interests centre on the language of literature, but radiate in many different directions.
Professor Attridge was born in South Africa, where he first attended university, and some of his recent work is concerned with South African literature, including an anthology of critical essays co-edited with Rosemary Jolly and a study of the novels of JM Coetzee (a study which also reflects his interest in questions of ethics and responsibility as they apply to literature).
He is also well-known as a Joyce scholar: his publications on Joyce include two books (Joyce Effects and How to Read Joyce), half of another book (Peculiar Language), and four edited or co-edited volumes on Joyce. He has held fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Camargo Foundation and the Leverhulme Trust.