Hermione Lee facts for kids

Dame Hermione Lee was born on 29 February 1948. She is a famous British writer, literary critic, and university professor. She is known for writing detailed biographies of other authors. She used to be the President of Wolfson College, Oxford, and a top English Literature professor at the University of Oxford.

Early Life and School Days

Hermione Lee grew up in London, England. Her father was a doctor. She went to several schools, including the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle. This is a French school in London.

She studied English Literature at St Hilda's College, Oxford. She earned a top degree in 1968. Later, she continued her studies at St Cross College, Oxford.

Becoming a Professor

Dame Hermione Lee has taught at many universities. She taught in the United States at the The College of William & Mary. She also taught in England at the University of Liverpool and the University of York. At these universities, she became a very important professor.

In 1998, she became the Goldsmiths' Professor of English Literature at New College, Oxford. She was the first woman to hold this special position there. From 2008 to 2017, she was the President of Wolfson College, Oxford. This is a very important leadership role at a university.

Special Awards and Recognition

Hermione Lee has received many important awards and honors. These show how much her work in literature is valued.

• She is a Fellow of the British Academy. This means she is recognized as an expert in her field.
• She is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. This is a group for important writers.
• She has received special honors from the British royal family. In 2003, she became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
• In 2013, she was made a Dame Commander (DBE). This is like being a knight, but for women.
• In 2023, she received an even higher honor, becoming a Dame Grand Cross (GBE). These awards are for her great contributions to English literature.

She has also been a visiting scholar at top universities in the US. These include Yale University and Princeton University.

Writing Books and Reviews

Dame Hermione Lee is famous for her biographies. These are books that tell the life story of someone else. She often writes about women writers and American literature.

Some of her well-known books include:

• The Novels of Virginia Woolf (1977)
• A biography of the American novelist Willa Cather (1989)
• A major biography of Virginia Woolf (1996). This book won a special prize and was named one of the best books by The New York Times Book Review.
• Body Parts: Essays on Life-Writing (2005). This book is about how biographies and autobiographies are written.
• A biography of the playwright Tom Stoppard (2020). She had special access to his personal papers for this book.

She has also edited and introduced many books by other authors. These include works by Rudyard Kipling, Virginia Woolf, and Penelope Fitzgerald.

Besides writing books, she writes reviews for newspapers like The Guardian. She also appeared on TV and radio shows about books and arts. In 2006, she led the judges for the Man Booker Prize, a very famous book award.

Personal Life

Hermione Lee is married to Professor John Barnard. He is also a professor.

Awards and Achievements

• 1997 – Rose Mary Crawshay Prize for her book Virginia Woolf
• 2003 – Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
• 2013 – Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE)
• 2013 – James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Penelope Fitzgerald: A Life
• 2015 – Plutarch Award for Penelope Fitzgerald: A Life
• 2023 – Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE)