James Fitzmaurice-Kelly FBA (1858-1923) was an English writer on Spanish literature.
He was born in Glasgow to Colonel Thomas Kelly of the 40th Regiment of Foot and educated at St Charles's College, Kensington, where he learned Spanish from a fellow pupil and taught himself to read Don Quixote. Obtaining work in Spain as a tutor in Jerez de la Frontera in 1885, he became acquainted with Spanish literary circles, including Juan Valera and Gaspar Núñez de Arce. Returning to England, he established his reputation on Spanish literature through his reviews and articles for London periodicals. His History of Spanish Literature was published in 1898 and confirmed his reputation.
As a lecturer, he taught at Oxford (1902), the British Academy (1905 and 1916), London University, and Cambridge (1908). In 1907 he lectured at various American universities, including Harvard and Yale for the Hispanic Society of America. He was Gilmour professor of Spanish language and literature at the University of Liverpool, and (1908) Norman MacColl lecturer at Cambridge. From 1909 to 1916 he was professor of Spanish language and literature at the University of Liverpool and in 1916 he gave a special course at Cambridge.
He was a fellow of the British Academy, corresponding member of the Real Academia Española de la Lengua and of the Real Academia de la Historia (Madrid); and a Knight Commander of the Order of Alfonso XII.
He contributed on Spanish literature to the 11th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica, to the Cambridge Modern History, to Homenaie a Menendez y Pelayo, etc.
He died at his house in Sydenham, Kent, on 30 November 1923 and was cremated and interred at West Norwood Cemetery on 4 December.