Jakob Lothe

Professor Jakob Lothe is a distinguished scholar in English literature and narrative theory. He held the position of Professor of English Literature at the University of Oslo from 1993 to 2020 and previously served as Associate Professor of Comparative Literature at the University of Bergen (1987–1992). He has been a visiting scholar at institutions including St. John’s College, Oxford (1996–1997), Harvard University (2005), and the University of Cape Town (2010). His research focuses on narrative theory, ethics of storytelling, and Holocaust studies.

Education and academic milestones include a Dr.philos. from the University of Bergen (1986) and fellowships at the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters (1999) and the American Philosophical Society (2018). He has authored and edited over 50 books, including Narrative in Fiction and Film (Oxford UP, 2000) and Time’s Witnesses: Women’s Voices from the Holocaust (2017). His work explores narrative ethics, memory studies, and the intersection of literature and human rights.

His research projects include the Nordic Network of Narrative Studies and Interpreting Violence: Narrative, Ethics and Hermeneutics. Notable publications address topics like Conrad’s narrative methods, Kafka’s ethical frameworks, and the role of literature in addressing historical trauma.