Richard Patrick Corballis (24 March 1946 – 20 July 2016) was a New Zealand academic who specialised in the study of Irish literature, and particularly the writings of

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...

Early life, family and education

Born on 24 March 1946, Corballis was the son of Alice Elizabeth Corballis (née Harris) and Philip Patrick Corballis, and the youngest brother of psychologist

Michael Corballis Michael Charles Corballis (10 September 1936 – 13 November 2021) was a New Zealand and Canadian psychologist and author. He was Emeritus Professor at the Department of Psychology at the University of Auckland. His fields of research were cogni ...

. Educated at

Wanganui Collegiate School Whanganui Collegiate School is a state-integrated, coeducational, day and boarding secondary school located in Whanganui, in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. Affiliated with the Anglican Church, it is the third oldest school in ...

, he went on to study at the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury (UC; ; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was founded in 1873 as Canterbur ...

, graduating

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

in 1967, and the

University of Southampton The University of Southampton (abbreviated as ''Soton'' in post-nominal letters) is a public university, public research university in Southampton, England. Southampton is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universit ...

, where he was awarded a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in 1972. His doctoral thesis was entitled ''George Chapman's development as a comic dramatist''. In 1969 Corballis married Penny Dawson, and the couple went on to have three children.

Career

Corballis was on the faculty at the University of Canterbury for 19 years, before moving to

Massey University Massey University () is a Public university, public research university in New Zealand that provides internal and distance education. The university has campuses in Auckland, Palmerston North, and Wellington. Data from Universities New Zealand ...

, where he was appointed professor and head of department of English, and involved in the establishment of that institution's campus at Albany in Auckland. He served on the council of Massey University from 1993 to 1997, and in 1997 was appointed as the first head of the School of English and Media Studies at Massey. In 2001 Corballis was elected to the governing body of the International Association of University Professors of English. Corballis' research focused on Irish literature and he was particularly interested in the works of James Joyce. However, he also published on the works of other writers, including

Witi Ihimaera Witi Tame Ihimaera-Smiler (; born 7 February 1944) is a New Zealand author. Raised in the small town of Waituhi, he decided to become a writer as a teenager after being convinced that Māori people, Māori people were ignored or mischaracteri ...

and

Tom Stoppard Sir Tom Stoppard (; born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech-born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and politi ...

. In 2008, Corballis was writer in residence at the

Michael King Writers Centre The Michael King Writers Centre is a writing centre on the slope of Takarunga / Mount Victoria in Devonport, Auckland, New Zealand, which offers residencies to early career and experienced writers. It was established in 2005 in honour of New ...

in Devonport, Auckland, where he conducted research for a biography of New Zealand playwright,

Bruce Mason Bruce Edward George Mason (28 September 1921 – 31 December 1982) was a significant playwright in New Zealand who wrote 34 plays and influenced the cultural landscape of the country through his contribution to theatre. In 1980, he was appoi ...

Later life and death

Corballis retired from Massey University in 2011. He died in Wellington on 20 July 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Corballis, Dick 1946 births 2016 deaths People educated at Whanganui Collegiate School University of Canterbury alumni Alumni of the University of Southampton Academic staff of the University of Canterbury Academic staff of Massey University James Joyce scholars