Israel Gollancz

Sir Israel Gollancz (13 July 1863^[1] – 23 June 1930^[2]) was a scholar of early English literature and of Shakespeare. He was Professor of English Language and Literature at King's College, London, from 1903 to 1930.

Gollancz was born 13 July 1863,^[3] in London, sixth of seven children of Rabbi Samuel Marcus Gollancz (1820–1900), cantor of the Hambro Synagogue, London, and his wife, Johanna Koppell.^[4] He was the younger brother of Sir Hermann Gollancz and the uncle of the publisher Victor Gollancz. In 1910, he married Alide Goldschmidt in London.^[5]

He was a founder member and the first Secretary (1902–1930) of the British Academy and of the committee for a Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, which eventually became the Royal National Theatre in London, and he was the Director of the Early English Text Society.^[6] He edited the "Temple" Shakespeare, a uniform edition of the complete works in pocket size volumes which was the most popular Shakespeare edition of its day. He also produced a translation in modern English of the important medieval Christian allegorical poem Pearl. He contributed works to the Dictionary of National Biography. Gollancz was knighted in 1919.^[7]

Gollancz died on 23 Jun 1930, in London and was buried at the Jewish Cemetery at Willesden on 26 June.^[8] In the year of his death, the British Academy held a memorial lecture in his name, at which they unveiled a bust of Sir Israel.^[9] The British Academy awards the Sir Israel Gollancz prize for Early English Studies.^[10]

Obituary

Wikisource has original works written by or about: Israel Gollancz

• "Sir Israel Gollancz Early And Middle English (transcript)". London: The Times. Jun 24, 1930. p. 16; col D. 

References