Peter Messent, Nottingham University's Mark Twain Scholar, Dies at 79
Peter Messent, emeritus professor and former head of the American studies department at Nottingham University, has died at the age of 79. An internationally respected authority on Mark Twain, Messent published dozens of articles and several acclaimed books on the American author throughout his distinguished academic career.
Academic Achievements and Scholarship
Messent's scholarly work on Mark Twain earned him significant recognition within academic circles. His publications included The Short Works of Mark Twain: A Critical Study (2001), The Cambridge Introduction to Mark Twain (2012), and Mark Twain and Male Friendship: The Twichell, Howells and Rogers Friendships (2009). The latter work won both the EAAS American Studies Network book prize and the British Association for American Studies annual book prize. He also edited a collection of Twichell's Civil War letters, demonstrating his comprehensive approach to Twain scholarship.
Educational Background and Career
Born in Wimbledon, southwest London, Messent attended Wimbledon College before earning a BA degree in American studies at the University of Manchester in 1969. He completed an MPhil on humor in American fiction in 1971. After lecturing at Manchester for one year, he joined the University of Nottingham, where he taught American literature for the majority of his career.
Messent spent one academic year (1977-78) as a Fulbright scholar teaching in Sacramento, California, but otherwise remained at Nottingham University until his retirement in 2011. He was promoted to full professor in 1999 and eventually served as head of the American studies department.
Teaching Legacy and Broader Scholarship
As a popular and approachable teacher, Messent taught the full range of American literature at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels while supervising numerous PhD students. Colleagues and students remember him as an indispensable figure in a rapidly developing department who championed student causes and generously shared his time and expertise.
Beyond his work on Mark Twain, Messent published on diverse subjects including the occult, crime fiction, Ernest Hemingway, and applications of narrative theory. His 1998 work New Readings of the American Novel demonstrated his broad engagement with American literary studies.
Personal Life and Interests
Warm and witty, Messent maintained an extensive circle of friends both within and outside academia. He had wide sporting interests, particularly in football, cricket, and rugby. A dedicated supporter of Nottingham Forest FC, he followed the team through both their successes under Brian Clough and more challenging periods. In later life, he enjoyed playing golf.
Messent married Brenda Courcha in 1971, and they had two children, William and Alice, before divorcing in 1987. He married Carin Davis in 1994, who predeceased him in 2023. He is survived by his children William and Alice, two stepchildren Ella and Leah, six grandchildren Ben, Harry, Louis, Arthur, Violet and Kit, and his siblings Philip, Mary, and the author of this obituary.
