Back Back

Honour for award-winning novelist

17/09/2018

An award-winning novelist and former Wolverhampton lecturer has been honoured for his literary achievements by the city’s University.

Howard Jacobson, the 2010 winner of the Man Booker Prize, received an Honorary Doctor Arts from the University of Wolverhampton.

The award was presented in recognition of his contribution to the literary world over a number of years and in particular his success in winning the Man Booker Prize.

The author and broadcaster, who worked at Wolverhampton Polytechnic in the 1970s, received the award during a graduation ceremony on Monday, 17 September 2018.

He said: “I am both delighted and touched by this award.  I co-wrote and published my first work of non-fiction while I was teaching at Wolverhampton (then a Polytechnic) and wrote my first novel here. So I feel I have come back to where it all started.”

Howard Jacobson is a novelist, critic, columnist and broadcaster. Born in Manchester in 1942, he studied English under FR Leavis at Downing College, Cambridge before going on to lecture in English Literature at Sydney University.  Returning to England, he taught at Selwyn College, Cambridge.  From 1974 to 1981 he was Senior Lecturer at Wolverhampton Polytechnic.

Howard-Jacobson2

Starting with Coming from Behind, in 1983, he has published fifteen novels and six works of non-fiction of which the most recent, The Dog's Last Walk, a collection of his columns for The Independent, was published in paperback earlier this year.

Who's Sorry Now? was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2002, as was Kalooki Nights in 2006.  In 2010 he won the Man Booker Prize for The Finkler Question and was shortlisted in 2014 for J.  He has twice won the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for comic writing, first for The Mighty Walzer and then for Zoo Time.

He has written and presented many programme for television, including Roots Schmoots, Seriously Funny: An Argument for Comedy, and Brilliant Creatures.  He is a regular contributor to A Point of View on Radio 4.

His new novel, Live A Little, will be published next year.

He is honorary Fellow of Downing College, Cambridge, and Visiting Professor at New College of Humanities.

Honorary awards are presented by the University of Wolverhampton to people who have made a significant contribution to their field of expertise. 

The University’s graduation ceremonies take place at the Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton, from Thursday, 13 September to Friday, 21 September 2018.

For information about courses to study at the University, visit: www.wlv.ac.uk/clearing

Further information

For more information please contact the Media Relations Office on 01902 32 2736 or 01902 518647.

Date Issued: Monday, 17 September 2018

For more information please contact the Corporate Communications Team.

Share this release

Related Stories