Geoffrey Stephen Kirk DSC, FBA (3 December 1921 – 10 March 2003) was a British classical scholar, known for his books on Ancient Greek literature and mythology.
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Life [edit]
Early life [edit]
Kirk was born and grew up in Nottingham,[1] the son of Frederick Kirk, MC.[2] Kirk was educated at Rossall School and Clare College, Cambridge. His time at Cambridge was interrupted by the outbreak of World War II; Kirk joined the Royal Navy in 1941 and was commissioned as an officer one year later.[2]
Military service [edit]
Kirk spent much of his service with the Levant Schooner Flotilla in the Aegean Sea,[2] which included both schooners and caïques engaged in irregular operations supporting Allied special forces.[3] Kirk fought on many Greek Islands and along a wide swath of the Turkish coast, engaged in operations at Tekegas Barnu, Didyma, Icaria and Andros.[2] He was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) in 1945; after the war Kirk returned to Cambridge and graduated in 1946.[1][2]
Academic career [edit]
Kirk was awarded a research fellowship at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, later becoming a lecturer and Reader at Cambridge. He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1959 and served as its vice-president in 1972-3.[4] Recognized as an acclaimed scholar worldwide, Kirk also held positions at Yale and Harvard within the United States.[2] He became the 35th Regius Professor of Greek at Cambridge in 1974, retiring there in 1982.
Later life [edit]
Following his retirement Kirk produced a six-volume commentary on the Iliad,[1] and updated his book "The Presocratic Philosophers" with J. E. Raven and M. Schofield.
Kirk married Barbara Traill in 1950, with whom he had a daughter, Lydia. In 1975 and he married Kirsten Ricks. He was supported by Lydia and his four stepdaughters through ill health before his death in 2003.[1]
Works [edit]
- Heraclitus, The Cosmic Fragments (1954)
- The Presocratic Philosophers: A Critical History with a Selection of Texts (1957) with J. E. Raven; a revised 2nd edition was published in 1983 with the help of Malcolm Schofield.
- The Songs of Homer (1962) later edited as Homer and the Epic (1965)
- The Language and Background of Homer - Some Recent Studies and Controversies (1964) editor
- Myth: Its Meaning and Functions in Ancient and Other Cultures (1970)
- The Nature of Greek Myths (1974)
- Homer and the Oral Tradition (1976)
- Archilochos (1977) with Michael Ayrton
- The Iliad: A Commentary (1985-93) six volumes, editor
Notes [edit]
- ^ a b c d "Obituary: Geoffrey Kirk" The Guardian, 5 May 2003.
- ^ a b c d e f "Professor Geoffrey Kirk" The Daily Telegraph, 13 March 2003.
- ^ Allied Special Forces Memorial Grove Website.
- ^ British Academy fellowship record
References [edit]
| Academic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Denys Page |
Regius Professor of Greek Cambridge University 1974 - 1982 |
Succeeded by Eric Walter Handley |
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