Rosalind Barber (born 1964) is an English novelist, poet and academic.

Education

She has a BSc in Biology, an MA in creative writing, the arts and education, and a PhD in English literature, all from the

University of Sussex The University of Sussex is a public university, public research university, research university located in Falmer, East Sussex, England. It lies mostly within the city boundaries of Brighton and Hove. Its large campus site is surrounded by the ...

. She also has an Open University BA in English literature and philosophy. Barber has worked as a computer programmer.

Novels

Barber's first novel, ''

The Marlowe Papers ''The Marlowe Papers'' is a novel by Ros Barber published in 2012. It won the Hoffman Prize in 2011, the Desmond Elliott Prize in 2013 and was joint-winner of the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award. The novel, written in blank verse, is a ...

'' (2012), is written in

blank verse Blank verse is poetry written with regular metre (poetry), metrical but rhyme, unrhymed lines, usually in iambic pentameter. It has been described as "probably the most common and influential form that English poetry has taken since the 16th cen ...

. She subscribes to the Marlovian theory of Shakespeare authorship. In the book, Marlowe's death is a ruse and he writes plays in Shakespeare's name. The book won the

Desmond Elliott Prize The Desmond Elliott Prize is an annual award for the best debut novel written in English and published in the UK. The winning novel can be from any genre of fiction and must exhibit depth and breadth with a compelling narrative. The winner receiv ...

and the Authors' Club First Novel Award. Her second novel, ''Devotion'' (2015), was shortlisted for the Encore Award. Barber made an appearance at the Brighton Fringe in 2012. She and Nicola Haydn wrote a one-man stage adaptation of ''The Marlowe Papers'' performed in 2016.

Poetry

Of Barber's three volumes of poetry, ''Material'' (2008) was a Poetry Book Society recommendation. Its title poem, which also appears in the

Faber Faber may refer to: People * Faber (surname) Companies * Faber & Faber, publishing house in the United Kingdom * Faber-Castell, German manufacturer of writing instruments * Faber Music, British sheet music publisher * Eberhard Faber, German ...

anthology ''Poems of the Decade'' (2015), was in England's school sixth-form syllabus as of 2017.

Academic position

As of 2021, Barber lectures in the Department of English and Comparative Literature at

Goldsmiths, University of London Goldsmiths, University of London, formerly Goldsmiths College, University of London, is a constituent research university of the University of London. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by ...

. Her appointment ended in 2024.Goldsmiths page. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
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Awards

She won the Hoffman Prize in 2011, 2014 and 2018.

Bibliography

Novels

*''

'' (2012) *''Devotion'' (2015)

Poetry

*''How Things Are on Thursday'' (2004) *''Not the Usual Grasses Singing'' (2005) *''Material'' (2008)

Non-fiction

*''30 Second Shakespeare'' (2015)

References

External links

Staff page
at

Ros Barber
at

Royal Literary Fund The Royal Literary Fund (RLF) is a benevolent fund that gives assistance to published British writers in financial difficulties. Founded in 1790, and granted a royal charter in 1818, the Fund has helped an extensive roll of authors through its lon ...

''Material'' Poem Analysis and CommentaryThe Bard didn’t use Warwickshire dialect – so was he really Shakespeare?
article by Barber at ''

The Conversation ''The Conversation'' is a 1974 American neo-noir mystery thriller film written, produced, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It stars Gene Hackman as a surveillance expert who faces a moral dilemma when his recordings reveal a potential ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Barber, Ros 1964 births 21st-century English poets 21st-century English novelists English women poets Living people Alumni of the University of Sussex 21st-century English women writers Marlovian theory of Shakespeare authorship Recipients of Desmond Elliott Prize