John Sutherland

b. 1938

John Sutherland was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1990.

John Sutherland is Emeritus Lord Northcliffe Professor of Modern English Literature at University College, London.

He has taught in universities world-wide and is also Visiting Professor of California Institute of Technology. Author of many books and articles, his interest lies in the areas of Victorian fiction, the history of publishing and 20th-century fiction. He writes for The Guardian and is a well-known literary reviewer.

His book, Stephen Spender: The Authorized Biography (2004), was shortlisted for the Whitbread Biography Award. Recent books are How To Read a Novel: a User’s Guide (2006), and a book of memoir – The Boy Who Loved Books (2007). Curiosities of Literature, a miscellany about reading, and Magic Moments: Life-changing Encounters with Books, Film, Music were published in 2008.

John Sutherland’s latest books are: Love, Sex, Death and Words: Tales from a Year in Literature (2010), written with Stephen Fender; 50 Literature Ideas You Really Need to Know (2011); and Lives of the Novelists: A History of Ficiton in 294 Lives (2011).