Phyllis Grosskurth
Phyllis Grosskurth | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Phyllis Marguerite Langstaff[1] March 16, 1924 Toronto, Ontario |
| Died | August 2, 2015 (aged 91) Toronto, Ontario |
| Alma mater | University of Toronto University of Ottawa |
| Notable works | Elusive Subject - A Biographer's Life, 1999 |
Phyllis Marguerite Grosskurth OC OOnt (née Langstaff; March 16, 1924 – August 2, 2015) was a Canadian academic, writer, and literary critic.
Grosskurth was born in Toronto, Ontario, the granddaughter of physician James Miles Langstaff.[2] She received a Bachelor of Arts honours degree in English from the University of Toronto and later a Master of Arts degree from the University of Ottawa. In 1962, she was awarded a doctorate by the University of London, and in addition became a Doctor of Letters at Trinity College, University of Toronto.
She published ground-breaking studies of literary/sexual and psycho-analytical subjects: firstly editing the journals and then publishing a biography of John Addington Symonds. This was followed by a controversial exploration of Freud and his inner circle; then a study of Melanie Klein, which was the source of a successful stage play called Mrs Klein written by Nicholas Wright. Her biography of Lord Byron, The Flawed Angel, was the first comprehensive study of the subject for a generation.
Phyllis Grosskurth was in later life professor emerita at the University of Toronto, and in 2000 was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. In 2002, she was awarded the Order of Ontario.
She first married Robert Grosskurth, with whom she had two sons and a daughter. Following their divorce she was married from 1968 to 1978 to Mavor Moore. In her later years she was married to Robert McMullan.
She died on August 2, 2015, in Toronto.[3]
Selected bibliography
[edit]- Byron: The Flawed Angel (1997)
- The Secret Ring: Freud's Inner Circle and the Politics of Psychoanalysis (1991)
- Melanie Klein: Her World and Her Work (1986), winner of the 1986 Governor General's Awards
- Havelock Ellis: A Biography (1980)
- John Addington Symonds: A Biography (1964), winner of the 1964 Governor General's Awards
References
[edit]- "The Writers' Union of Canada profile". Retrieved December 30, 2005.[permanent dead link]
- "Canadian Who's Who 1997 entry". University of Toronto Press. Retrieved November 18, 2007.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Grosskurth–Langstaff". The Toronto Star. September 7, 1946. p. 21. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
- ^ Connor, Jennifer J (1996). "Life Writing in Medical History". Canadian Bulletin of Medical History. 13 (1): 126. doi:10.3138/cbmh.13.1.123. ISSN 0823-2105. PMID 11613336.
- ^ Diana Hall (9 August 2015). "Biographer Phyllis Grosskurth, 91, was a fiery literary force: obituary". Toronto Star.
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