Alastair Neil Robertson Niven (25 February 1944 – 26 March 2025) was an English literary scholar and author. He wrote books on

D. H. Lawrence David Herbert Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930) was an English novelist, short story writer, poet, playwright, literary critic, travel writer, essayist, and painter. His modernist works reflect on modernity, social alienation ...

, Raja Rao, and

Mulk Raj Anand Mulk Raj Anand (12 December 1905 – 28 September 2004) was an Indian writer in the English language, recognised for his depiction of the lives of the poorer class in the traditional Indian society. One of the pioneers of Indo-Anglian fiction, ...

, and over the years served as Director General of The Africa Centre, Director of Literature at the

Arts Council of Great Britain The Arts Council of Great Britain was a non-departmental public body dedicated to the promotion of the fine arts in Great Britain. It was divided in 1994 to form the Arts Council of England (now Arts Council England), the Scottish Arts Council (l ...

and of the

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lang ...

, a principal of

Cumberland Lodge Cumberland Lodge is a 17th-century Grade II listed country house in Windsor Great Park 3.5 miles south of Windsor Castle. Since 1947 it has been occupied by the charitable foundation known as Cumberland Lodge, an educational charity and social ...

, and president of

English PEN Founded in 1921, English PEN is one of the world's first non-governmental organisations and among the first international bodies advocating for human rights. English PEN was the founding centre of PEN International, a worldwide writers' associa ...

. In 2021, Niven was chosen as the recipient of the

Benson Medal The Benson Medal is a medal awarded by the Royal Society of Literature in the UK."The Benson Medal"

from the

Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 800 Fellows, elect ...

, awarded for exceptional contribution to literature.

Education

Born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, Scotland on 25 February 1944, Niven was educated at

Dulwich College Dulwich College is a 2-18 private, day and boarding school for boys in Dulwich, London, England. As a public school, it began as the College of God's Gift, founded in 1619 by Elizabethan actor Edward Alleyn, with the original purpose of ...

in London and at

Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, commonly known as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348 by Edmund Gonville, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and ...

, and was then a

Commonwealth Scholar The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) is an international programme under which Commonwealth governments offer scholarships and fellowships to citizens of other Commonwealth countries. History The plan was originally proposed ...

for two years (1968–69) at the

University of Ghana The University of Ghana is a public university located in Accra, Ghana. It is the oldest public university in the country. The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the British colony of the Gold Coast ...

, where he "first researched in the field of African literature", receiving his master's degree and lecturing in English literature there. He next lectured in English literature at the

University of Leeds The University of Leeds is a public research university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1874 as the Yorkshire College of Science. In 1884, it merged with the Leeds School of Medicine (established 1831) and was renamed Y ...

, where he received his Doctorate, and then taught English Studies at

Stirling University The University of Stirling (abbreviated as Stir or Shruiglea, in post-nominals; ) is a public university in Stirling, Scotland, founded by a royal charter in 1967. It is located in the Central Belt of Scotland, built within the walled Airthr ...

(1970–78),"Niven, Alastair (Neil Robertson)"
Encyclopedia.com. where he was given charge of Commonwealth literature.

Scholarship and academic work

In the 1970s, Niven wrote the first of several books. His 1978 study, ''D. H. Lawrence: The Novels'', was reviewed as "an excellent introduction to Lawrence as an artist and as a thinker", and as "particularly useful for its full treatment of the neglected or downgraded novels". Niven's 1980 book, ''D. H. Lawrence: The Writer and His Work'', was reviewed in the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

Book Review'' as "a brief yet substantial commentary on the Lawrence work", though with "few fresh insights". The review noted that Niven "does focus some welcome attention on several less-lauded works", and that Niven's "defense of Lawrence's underrated plays should interest any serious Lawrence scholar." From 1978 to 1984, Niven was Director General of The Africa Centre, London; there, as Olu Alake notes, "he expanded the literary programme, staging over 60 plays including '' The Trial of Dedan Kimathi'' and hosting giants such as

Chinua Achebe Chinua Achebe (; born Albert Chinụalụmọgụ Achebe; 16 November 1930 – 21 March 2013) was a Nigerian novelist, poet, and critic who is regarded as a central figure of modern African literature. His first novel ''Things Fall Apart'' ( ...

Ngugi wa Thiong'o Ngugi or Ngũgĩ is a name of Kikuyu origin that may refer to: * Ngugi wa Mirii (1951–2008), Kenyan playwright *Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (; born James Ngugi; 5January 193828May 2025) was a Kenyan author and academic, who has ...

Buchi Emecheta Buchi Emecheta (born Florence Onyebuchi Emecheta; 21 July 1944 – 25 January 2017) was a Nigerian writer who was the author of novels, plays, autobiography, and children's books. She first received notable critical attention for her 1974 novel ...

Bessie Head Bessie Amelia Emery Head (6 July 1937 – 17 April 1986) was a South African writer who, though born in South Africa, is usually considered Botswana's most influential writer. She wrote novels, short fiction and autobiographical works that are ...

Wole Soyinka Wole Soyinka , (born 13 July 1934) is a Nigerian author, best known as a playwright and poet. He has written three novels, ten collections of short stories, seven poetry collections, twenty five plays and five memoirs. He also wrote two transla ...

Ben Okri Sir Ben Golden Emuobowho Okri (born 15 March 1959) is a Nigerian-born British poet and novelist.Ben Okri" ...

CLR James Cyril Lionel Robert James (4 January 1901 – 31 May 1989),C. Gerald Fraser, Fraser, C. Gerald (2 June 1989)"C. L. R. James, Historian, Critic And Pan-Africanist, Is Dead at 88" ''The New York Times''. . who sometimes wrote under the pen-n ...

and

Samuel Selvon Samuel Dickson Selvon (20 May 1923 – 16 April 1994)"Samuel Selvon"
''Encyclop ...

." Other notable figures invited to give readings and talks at the Africa Centre included

Nuruddin Farah Nuruddin Farah (, ) (born 24 November 1945) is a Somali novelist. His first novel, '' From a Crooked Rib'', was published in 1970 and has been described as "one of the cornerstones of modern East African literature today". Farah has also written ...

Elechi Amadi Elechi Amadi (12 May 1934 – 29 June 2016) was a Nigerian author and soldier. He was a former member of the Nigerian Armed Forces. He was an author of plays and novels that are generally about African village life, customs, beliefs, and religi ...

Dennis Brutus Dennis Vincent Brutus (28 November 1924 – 26 December 2009) was a South African activist, educator, journalist and poet best known for his campaign to have South Africa banned from the Olympic Games due to its racial policy of apartheid. ...

Njabulo Ndebele Njabulo Simakahle Ndebele is an academic and writer of fiction who is the former vice-chancellor and principal of the University of Cape Town (UCT). On 16 November 2012 he was inaugurated as the chancellor of the University of Johannesburg. , ...

Jack Mapanje Jack Mapanje (born 25 March 1944)Flora Nwapa Chief Florence Nwanzuruahu Nkiru Nwapa (13 January 1931 – 16 October 1993), was a Nigerian author who has been called the mother of modern African Literature. She was the forerunner to a generation of African women writers, and the first Afr ...

Gabriel Okara Gabriel Imomotimi Okara (24 April 1921 – 25 March 2019) was a Nigerian poet and novelist who was born in Bumoundi in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. The first modernist poet of Anglophone Africa, he is best known for his early experimental ...

, Sembene Ousmane,

Amos Tutuola Amos Tutuola (; 20 June 1920 – 8 June 1997) was a Nigerian writer who wrote books based in part on Yoruba folk-tales. Early history Amos Olatubosun Tutuola Odegbami was born on 20 June 1920, in Wasinmi, a village just a few miles outsid ...

and

Naomi Mitchison Naomi Mary Margaret Mitchison, Baroness Mitchison (; 1 November 1897 – 11 January 1999) was a List of Scottish novelists, Scottish novelist and poet. Often called a doyenne of Scottish literature, she wrote more than 90 books of historical an ...

. Niven was at various times "an executive member of the Association for Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies and a member of the

Commonwealth Institute The Commonwealth Education Trust was a registered charity established in 2007 as the successor trust to the Commonwealth Institute. The trust focuses on primary and secondary education and the training of teachers and invests on educational pr ...

Working Party on Library Holdings of Commonwealth Literature". In 1978, he became editor of the ''

Journal of Commonwealth Literature ''The Journal of Commonwealth Literature'' (''JCL'') is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal that covers the field of literature, especially Commonwealth and postcolonial literatures, including colonial discourse and translational studies. T ...

'', serving in the role for the next 13 years, until 1991. From 1987 to 1997, he was Director of Literature at the

(where he set up the first Literature in Translation programme), and from 1997 to 2001 was the

's director of literature. The

Arvon Foundation The Arvon Foundation is a charitable organisation in the United Kingdom that promotes creative writing. Arvon is one of Arts Council England's National Portfolio Organisations. Andrew Kidd is the Chief Executive Officer, and Patricia Cumper is ...

is among many literary charitable organisations that in the 1980s and 1990s benefited from Niven's support in their development.

Booker Prize work and other literary activities

Niven was a judge for the Booker Prize in 1994, and for the Man Booker Prize in 2014. In 2017, Niven argued that allowing American authors to contend for the Booker award would not lead to American dominance, pointing to authors from other countries having won recent international literary awards. The following year, he opposed efforts to drop American authors from contention for the Booker Prize. In support of the wide international eligibility of applicants, he described "the development of the English language into a number of different Englishes, which can then be compared and contrasted" as "one of the unifying features of the literature." In 2000–2001, Niven served on the International Advisory Board of the

Raja Rao Award for Literature The Raja Rao Award, in some sources the Raja Rao Award for Literature,L. Macedo, "Dabydeen, David", ''The Encyclopedia of Twentieth‐Century Fiction'', Brian Shaffer, editor, Wiley-Blackwell, 2010, p. 1035.Eric Martone, ''Encyclopedia of Blacks i ...

, and he also in 2001 joined the advisory board of ''

Wasafiri ''Wasafiri'' is a quarterly British literary magazine covering international contemporary writing. Founded in 1984, the magazine derives its name from a Swahili word meaning "travellers" that is etymologically linked with the Arabic word "safari ...

'' magazine (founded in 1984 by

Susheila Nasta Susheila Nasta (born 1953), is a British critic, editor, academic and literary activist. She is Professor of Modern and Contemporary Literatures at Queen Mary University of London, and founding editor of '' Wasafiri'', the UK's leading magazine f ...

), for which he was a contributor over many years. He was Principal of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Foundation of St. Catherine at

in Windsor from 2001 to 2013, and "held the unique double of being Director of Literature at the

(later Arts Council England) for 10 years and Director of Literature at the

for four." He was president of

from 2003 to 2007, and Chairman of the

Commonwealth Writers' Prize Commonwealth Foundation has presented a number of prizes since 1987. The main award was called the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and was composed of two prizes: the Best Book Prize (overall and regional) was awarded from 1987 to 2011; the Best First ...

. He was Associate Director for Education of the non-profit Iraq Britain Business Council (IBBC) for several years after its founding in 2009. In the

2012 Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours List 2012 was released on 16 June 2012 in the United Kingdom, on 11 June 2012 in Australia on 4 June 2012 in New Zealand,Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the ...

(LVO), personally conferred by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

. He was a jury member for the 2012

DSC Prize for South Asian Literature The DSC Prize for South Asian Literature is an international literary prize awarded annually to writers of any ethnicity or nationality writing about South AsiaNote: South Asia for the purposes of the prize is defined as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka ...

. In 2017, he was Chair of Judges for the

Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation The Banipal Prize, officially the Saif Ghobash–Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation, is an annual award presented to a translator (or translators) for the published English translation of a full-length literary work in Arabic. The p ...

. In 2019, he supported a fundraiser to preserve an antique annotated copy of D. H. Lawrence's ''

Lady Chatterley's Lover ''Lady Chatterley's Lover'' is the final novel by English author D. H. Lawrence, which was first published privately in 1928, in Florence, Italy, and in 1929, in Paris, France. An unexpurgated edition was not published openly in the United Ki ...

'' used as an exhibit in the famous obscenity trial, ''

R v Penguin Books Ltd ''R v Penguin Books Ltd'' (also known as ''The Lady Chatterley Trial''), was the public prosecution in the United Kingdom of Penguin Books under the ''Obscene Publications Act 1959'' for the publication of D. H. Lawrence's 1928 novel ''Lady ...

''. Having written two books about Lawrence, Niven commented: "He has served me well and the least I can do now is help in his hour of need." Niven was also a trustee of the Stephen Spender Trust for more than five years. As co-chair of the events committee of the

English-Speaking Union The English-Speaking Union (ESU) is an international educational membership organisation headquartered in London, England. Founded by the journalist Sir Evelyn Wrench in 1918, it aims to bring together and empower people of different languages ...

(ESU), Niven was "in conversation" with notable figures including Jatinder Verma, William Waldegrave,

Matthew Rycroft Sir Matthew John Rycroft (; born 16 June 1968) is a British civil servant and diplomat who served as Permanent Under-Secretary of State at the Home Office from March 2020 to March 2025, appointed following the resignation of Sir Philip Rutnam. ...

, and

Malcolm Rifkind Sir Malcolm Leslie Rifkind (born 21 June 1946) is a British politician who served in the cabinets of Margaret Thatcher and John Major from 1986 to 1997, and most recently as chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament from 2 ...

. Niven's memoir, ''In Glad or Sorry Hours'', was published in February 2021 (Starhaven, ). In 2021, he was elected an Honorary Fellow of the

(RSL). He was also awarded the

Benson Medal The Benson Medal is a medal awarded by the Royal Society of Literature in the UK."The Benson Medal"

, given by the RSL to honour service to literature across a whole career, and on receiving it Niven said: "It never occurred to me that I might myself become a recipient of an award like this and to be part of that lineage stretching right back to the early days of

Lytton Strachey Giles Lytton Strachey (; 1 March 1880 – 21 January 1932) was an English writer and critic. A founding member of the Bloomsbury Group and author of ''Eminent Victorians'', he established a new form of biography in which psychology, psychologic ...

and then through people like Forster, who I incidentally met when I was at Cambridge, very briefly, a shy and rather delightful man who you used to see shuffling into dinner every evening. And then later people I'd met and written on like R.K. Narayan,

Nadine Gordimer Nadine Gordimer (20 November 192313 July 2014) was a South African writer and political activist. She received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1991, recognised as a writer "who through her magnificent epic writing has ... been of very great ben ...

. I love to see that I am in the company of

, Liz Calder,

Boyd Tonkin Boyd Tonkin Hon. FRSL is an English writer, journalist and literary critic. He was the literary editor of ''The Independent'' newspaper from 1996 to 2013. A long-time proponent of foreign-language literature, he is the author of ''The 100 Best No ...

and

Margaret Busby Margaret Yvonne Busby, , Hon. FRSL (born 1944), also known as Nana Akua Ackon, is a Ghanaian-born publisher, editor, writer and broadcaster, resident in the UK. She was Britain's then youngest publisher as well as the first black female book p ...

, a very long-standing friend, and so many others. It means a huge amount to me to get this Medal. I feel really, really honoured by it."

Personal life and death

In 1970, Niven married Helen Trow, whom he met during his time in Ghana where she was a VSO volunteer, and they had two children. Niven died on 26 March 2025, at the age of 81. In an obituary in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', which included words of tribute from

Bernardine Evaristo Bernardine Anne Mobolaji Evaristo (born 28 May 1959) is an English author and academic. Her novel ''Girl, Woman, Other'' jointly won the Booker Prize in 2019 alongside Margaret Atwood's ''The Testaments'', making her the first Black woman to win ...

describing Niven as a "fantastic advocate" for literature,

stated: "The foremost literary administrator and diplomat of his time, he opened up the Arts Council, the British Council and other bodies to the creative energies of Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and their diasporic communities in the UK. Later the principal of a royal foundation in Windsor, he could appear as a paladin of the establishment. But he was always more of a gate-opener – and pathfinder – than gatekeeper."

Awards and honours

* 2001: appointed an

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

New Year Honours List The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this ...

* 2012: appointed a

Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the ...

(LVO) * Honorary Fellow of

Harris Manchester College Harris Manchester College (HMC) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It was founded in Warrington in 1757 as a college for Unitarian students and moved to Oxford in 1893. It became a full college of the un ...

, University of Oxford * 2021: elected as an Honorary

Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the ...

* 2021: recipient of the

Benson Medal The Benson Medal is a medal awarded by the Royal Society of Literature in the UK."The Benson Medal"

from the

, for his exceptional contribution to literature

Publications

In addition to his books, Niven was the author of "over fifty articles on aspects of Commonwealth and post-colonial literature", and also wrote "extensively about the welfare of overseas students".''ALA Bulletin: A Publication of the African Literature Association'', Volume 28, 2002, p. 16. For ''

'' newspaper, he contributed many obituaries of notable literary figures, including James Berry,

Ranjana Ash Ranjana Ash (née Sidhanta; 6 December 1924 – 10 August 2015) was an Indian-born writer, literary critic, academic and activist, who was a leading advocate of south Asian and African writing. She moved in the 1950s to England, where she marrie ...

, Pauline Neville, Carole Seymour-Jones and

Ion Trewin Ion Courtenay Gill Trewin (13 July 1943 – 8 April 2015) was a British editor, publisher and author. Biography Born in London, the son of J. C. Trewin and Wendy Trewin (''née'' Monk), Ion Trewin was educated at Highgate School. He was the l ...

. *''The Commonwealth Writer Overseas'' (1976) *''D. H. Lawrence: The Novels'' (1978) *''The Yoke of Pity: A Study in the Fictional Writings of Mulk Raj Anand'' (1978) *''D. H. Lawrence, the writer and his work'' (1980) *''Under Another Sky: The

Commonwealth Poetry Prize The Commonwealth Poetry Prize was an annual poetry prize established in 1972, for a first published book of English poetry from a country other than the United Kingdom. It was initially administered jointly by the Commonwealth Institute and the Nat ...

Anthology'' (1987) – editor *''Truth Within Fiction: A study of Raja Rao's The Serpent & the Rope'' (1987) *''Enigmas and Arrivals: An Anthology of Commonwealth Writing'' (1997) – co-editor with Michael Schmidt, to mark the 10th anniversary of the

*"Jack Mapanje: A Chameleon in Prison", ''

Poetry Review ''The Poetry Review'' is the magazine of The Poetry Society, edited by the poet Wayne Holloway-Smith. Founded in 1912, shortly after the establishment of the Society, previous editors have included poets Muriel Spark, Adrian Henri, Andrew Mo ...

'' 80, no. 4 (1990–91): 49–51 *''In Glad or Sorry Hours'', Starhaven Press, 2021,

References

External links

Niven, Alastair (Neil Robertson)
biography from ''Writers Directory 2005'' hosted by

Encyclopedia.com ''Encyclopedia.com'' is an online encyclopedia. It aggregates information, images, and videos from other published dictionaries, encyclopedias, and reference works. History The website was launched by Infonautics in March 1998. Infonautics w ...

Alastair Niven
biography from

Alastair Niven, LVO, OBE
, biography from

Harris Manchester College, Oxford Harris Manchester College (HMC) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It was founded in Warrington in 1757 as a college for Unitarianism, Unitarian students and moved to ...

* Prabhu Guptara
"Alastair Niven on independent publishers"

Independent Publishers Guild The Independent Publishers Guild (IPG), founded in 1962, is an association set up to support the needs of independent firms in the publishing industry in the United Kingdom, with a current membership of more than 600 companies. The IPG is a not-fo ...

, 17 May 2021.
"Benson Medal 2021 - Alastair Niven""Alastair Niven Hon FRSL"
The Royal Society of Literature, 6 July 2021 (via

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

). {{DEFAULTSORT:Niven, Alexander 1944 births 2025 deaths 21st-century English memoirists Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Alumni of the University of Leeds Fellows of Harris Manchester College, Oxford Lieutenants of the Royal Victorian Order Officers of the Order of the British Empire People associated with the University of Stirling People educated at Dulwich College Presidents of the English Centre of PEN University of Ghana alumni Writers from Edinburgh