Richard Hibbitt

Professor Richard Hibbitt is a leading scholar in French and Comparative Literature at the University of Leeds, specializing in cultural exchange, transnational literary networks, and the fin de siècle period. His work bridges 19th-20th century French literature with comparative aesthetics, cosmopolitanism, and translation studies.

• Education: B.A. in French and German (Royal Holloway, University of London); M.A. in Comparative Literature (University of East Anglia); PGCE (University of Exeter); Ph.D. in Comparative Literature (University of East Anglia)

His research explores the interplay between national and cosmopolitan literary identities, with a focus on Baudelaire, Huysmans, Oscar Wilde, and W.G. Sebald. Recurring themes include dilettantism, narratology, and the transnational circulation of ideas.

Recent publications highlight his editorial leadership in projects like Literary Capitals in the Long Nineteenth Century (2022) and Other Capitals of the Nineteenth Century (2017). Articles span topics such as anti-colonial exoticism in Mirbeau’s work, the symbolic role of Bruges in Symbolist fiction, and the therapeutic use of humor in À rebours.

• Scientific Awards: AHRC Gateways to the First World War public engagement award (2017)

He supervises postgraduate researchers in French and comparative literature, particularly those examining late 19th-early 20th century transnational themes, reception studies, and narrative experimentation. He also directs the John Dryden Translation Competition and co-organizes the international Writing 1900 research network.