Nikolaj Lübecker, Professor of French and Film Studies, has been awarded the prestigious R. Gapper Book Prize 2023 for his book Twenty-First-Century Symbolism. The annual award, presented by the Society for French Studies, celebrates a book in the field of French studies authored by a UK-based scholar, and commends critical and scholarly distinction and impact on the wider critical debate.
The jury’s decision was unanimous, and they commented:
‘Twenty-First-Century Symbolism offers a series of powerful close readings of selected texts by Verlaine, Baudelaire and Mallarmé as part of a remarkable philosophical and poetic response to the current challenges and realities of the technological age. It demonstrates an impeccable knowledge and understanding of twentieth and early twenty-first century philosophy and critical theory, drawing on (with the lightest of touches) affect theory, ecocriticism, technology studies, media theory, theories of cognition and embodiment, art history, philosophy, cybernetics and gaming.’
‘The jury agreed that this book is a model for trans-disciplinary scholarship. It revisits these three poets and asks “what they can do for us” today, reading them against the grain of conventional readings and boldly casting new light on how we are impacted by them.’
Very many congratulations to Nikolaj!
