The death of Booker Prize-shortlisted writer David Lodge at the age of 89 has been announced by his publishers Penguin Random House.
Harvill Secker and Vintage Books UK said they are “deeply saddened” to confirm that Lodge died peacefully with close family at his side on 1st January. The author was three weeks shy of his 90th birthday.
In a statement his publishers said: “He inspired great affection in those who were lucky enough to work on his books and his dedication to the world of writing was unwavering and profound. His death is an enormous loss to all of us at Penguin Random House and to British letters.
“We have published David since 1975, when his seminal fifth novel Changing Places was first issued by Secker & Warburg, right up to his final volume of autobiography, Varying Degrees of Success, in 2021.”
They added: “David’s career was one of international success and literary influence, in the realms of both fiction and non-fiction. His criticism, plays, biographies, memoirs and television scripts stand alongside celebrated novels like The British Museum is Falling Down, the Booker-shortlisted Small World and Nice Work, Therapy, Deaf Sentence and A Man of Parts, and show the range of a writer who was fascinated by everything the written word could achieve.”
Lodge was famous for his campus novels but was a respected academic as well. He taught in the department of English at the University of Birmingham between 1960 and 1987, becoming Professor of English Literature in 1976. He continued his association with the University as an Emeritus Professor when he retired to concentrate on his writing.
His critical works, including The Art of Fiction, Consciousness and the Novel and The Practice of Writing, demonstrate his continuous thoughtful engagement with the art of literature. He was appointed a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1997 and a Commander of the British Empire in 1998 for services to literature.
Lodge was supported by his wife, Mary, who died in January 2022.
In a statement Lodge’s family said: “It was interesting growing up with David Lodge as a father. Colleagues from the University of Birmingham and writers from all over the world visited our home in Birmingham. Conversation over the supper table was always lively, our mother Mary very much held her own, meanwhile David was ready with a reference book to look up something that was being disputed. We are very proud of his achievements and of the pleasure that his fiction, in particular, has given to so many people.”
His publisher, Liz Foley, said: “It was a true privilege and joy to be David’s publisher and I will miss him very much. His contribution to literary culture was immense, both in his criticism and through his masterful and iconic novels which have already become classics. He was also a very kind, modest and funny person and I feel incredibly lucky to have worked with him and had the pleasure of enjoying his wit and company over the course of his recent publications.”
His long-time editor, Geoff Mulligan, said: “It was my great good fortune to work with David over many years and a number of books. Our editorial sessions, which took place in his apartment near Cecil Court, were both enlightening and hugely entertaining. They provoked extensive discussions on the motivation of a character, the particular Burgundy they might drink, sometimes a single word, that I still remember. His work appealed across the generations. He was touched when a student at a reading in Belfast announced that she loved his work, but then so did her mother and grandfather. For someone of his enormous achievements as an academic, novelist, playwright and script writer, he was always modest, kind, generous and a delight to be with.”
Literary agent, Jonny Geller of Curtis Brown, said: “David’s campus trilogy inspired me to read English at university and so it was a huge privilege to become his literary agent 20 years ago. He was a true gentleman – warm, generous and kind, and a lunch with David would involve laughter and serious conversation about contemporary writing. His social commentary, meditations on mortality and laugh-out-loud observations make him a worthy addition to the pantheon of great English comic writers that links him to Wodehouse, Waugh, Amis and others. Our thoughts go to his family, sons Stephen and Christopher and daughter Julia.”
