Derek Stanley Brewer (13 July 1923 – 23 October 2008) was a Welsh

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

scholar, author and publisher.

Life

Born in

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, the son of a clerk with General Electric, Brewer read English at

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and ...

, where he was taught, among others, by

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer, literary scholar and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Magdalen College, Oxford (1925–1954), and Magdalen ...

. He served as

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

with the

Worcestershire Regiment The Worcestershire Regiment was a line infantry regiment in the British Army, formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot and the 36th (Herefordshire) Regiment of Foot. The regiment ...

and with the

Royal Fusiliers The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881. The regiment served in many war ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, from 1942 to 1945, then returned to Oxford. He took a Second. He was appointed

lecturer Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...

at the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

, where he remained until 1964, when he moved to

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

to take up the position of lecturer in English and then become fellow of Emmanuel College. From 1977 to 1990 he served his college as

Master Master, master's or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles In education: *Master (college), head of a college *Master's degree, a postgraduate or sometimes undergraduate degree in the specified discipline *Schoolmaster or master, presiding office ...

. In 1990-1991 he held the

Sandars Readership in Bibliography The Sandars Readership in Bibliography is an annual lecture series given at Cambridge University. Instituted in 1895 at the behest of Samuel Sandars of Trinity College (1837–1894), who left a £2000 bequest to the University, the series has con ...

at Cambridge University on the topic "The fabulous history of Venus: Studies in the history of mythography from the Middle Ages to the nineteenth century." Brewer was one of the most recognized

Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer ( ; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for '' The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He ...

scholars of modern times—his ''Chaucer and His World'' (1978, reissued 2000) "could be said to have started a whole new genre in historical

literary biography When studying literature, biography and its relationship to literature is often a subject of literary criticism, and is treated in several different forms. Two scholarly approaches use biography or biographical approaches to the past as a tool for ...

."Derek Brewer Obituary
''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'' (online) He was also the founder in 1972 of an

academic press Academic Press (AP) is an academic book publisher founded in 1941. It launched a British division in the 1950s. Academic Press was acquired by Harcourt, Brace & World in 1969. Reed Elsevier said in 2000 it would buy Harcourt, a deal complete ...

named for him, D. S. Brewer, now

Boydell & Brewer Boydell & Brewer is an academic press based in Martlesham, Suffolk, England, that specializes in publishing historical and critical works. In addition to British and general history, the company publishes three series devoted to studies, editio ...

, which made a mark publishing scholarly work neglected by the larger presses. He died in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, a month after the death of his wife Elisabeth. Obituaries in all the main British newspapers and blogs in the US speak highly of his love of literature and the profession,Derek Brewer Obituary
''Unlocked Wordhoard'' (blog) his advocacy of struggling academics of the medieval period to get their work published,
''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' his encouragement of female students (a rarity in the medieval field during much of his lifetime), and his courtesy and friendliness.Derek Brewer Obituary
''

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 ...

Select bibliography

Books authored and edited

*Geoffrey Chaucer, ''The Parlement of Foulys''. Ed. Derek Brewer. London: Nelson, 1960. *''Chaucer in His Time''. London: Nelson, 1963. *''Chaucer, the Critical Heritage''. Ed. Derek Brewer. London, Boston: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1978. . *''Chaucer and His World''. London: Eyre Methuen, 1978. ; 3rd ed. ''The World of Chaucer''. Woodbridge: Boydell & Brewer, 2000. . *''Symbolic Stories: Traditional Narratives of the Family Drama in English Literature''. Cambridge: Brewer; Totowa: Rowman & Littlefield, 1980. . *''Traditional Stories and Their Meanings''. London: English Association, 1983. . *''An Introduction to Chaucer''. London, New York: Longman, 1984. ; 2nd ed. ''A New Introduction to Chaucer''. London: Longman, 1998. . *''Studies in Medieval English Romances: Some New Approaches''. Ed. Derek Brewer. Cambridge: Brewer, 1988. *''A Companion to the Gawain-Poet''. Ed. Derek Brewer and Jonathan Gibson. Cambridge: D.S. Brewer, 1997. .

Articles

*“The Tutor: A Portrait,” in ''C. S. Lewis at the Breakfast Table'', James T. Como, editor, 1979, 41-67. *"Chaucer and the Bible." In Kinshiro Oshitari et al., eds., ''Philologia Anglica: Essays Presented to Professor Yoshio Terasawa on the Occasion of His Sixtieth Birthday''. Tokyo: Kenkyusha, 1988. 270-84. *"Chaucer's Poetic Style." In Piero Boitani and Jill Mann, eds., ''The Cambridge Chaucer Companion''. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1986. 227-42. *"Orality and Literacy in Chaucer." In Willi Ertzgräber and Sabine Volk, eds., ''Mundlichkeit und Schriftlichkeit im englischen Mittelalter''. Script Oralia 5. Tübingen: Gunter Narr Verlag, 1988. 85-119. *"Contributions to a Chaucer Word-Book from ''Troilus'' Book IV." In Michio Kawai, ed., ''Language and Style in English Literature: Essays in Honor of Michio Masui''. English Research Association of Hiroshima. Tokyo: Eihosha, 1991. 27-52. *"Arithmetic and the Mentality of Chaucer." In Piero Boitani and Anna Torti, eds., ''Literature in Fourteenth-Century England: The J. A. W. Bennett Memorial Lectures, Perugia, 1981-1982''. Tübingen: Narr; Cambridge: Brewer, 1983. 155-64. *"Chaucer's Venuses." In Juliette Dor, ed., ''A Wyf Ther Was: Essays in Honour of Paule Mertens Fonck''. Liège: Université de Liège, 1992. 30-40.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brewer, Derek 1923 births 2008 deaths Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford Academics of the University of Birmingham Masters of Emmanuel College, Cambridge Royal Fusiliers officers British medievalists Chaucer scholars British Army personnel of World War II Worcestershire Regiment officers Corresponding Fellows of the Medieval Academy of America