It is with great sadness that we learnt that Emeritus Professor Nicholas Hewitt has passed away, from complications arising from liver cancer, on Friday, 1 March 2019. He married his long-term partner Helen Meller on 28 December last year. He is survived by Helen, his children Rachel and Sarah, and his step-daughter Meesha Nehru.
Nick started his career at Hull University, then moved to posts at Southampton and Warwick, and from 1989 onwards, was Professor of French at Nottingham. His work spanned the range of modern French culture, and his books cover this range: from his pioneering The Golden Age of Louis-Ferdinand-Céline in 1987, through his authored and edited books on French culture, to his 2017 book on the history and culture of Montmartre.
He was a driving force in establishing French cultural studies, both in the UK and internationally, and was a founding editor of French Cultural Studies, continuing to act as its General Editor after his retirement. He was also General Editor of Nottingham French Studies for many years.
At Nottingham he was a powerful advocate for French, modern languages, and cultural studies; he served as Head of the French Department and later as Head of the newly established Department of Critical Theory and Cultural Studies; he also took on senior managerial roles as Head of School and Dean of the Faculty of Arts. He was instrumental, too, in the development of the International Media and Communications degrees now flourishing within the Department of Cultural, Media and Visual Studies, and on both overseas campuses.
Nick was tireless in his support for colleagues across the range of our activities, and especially helpful to new colleagues. It is with great intellectual respect and personal affection that we remember him.
Posted on Monday 11th March 2019