April 22, 2010
The
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation has awarded St. John’s
University Professor of History Jeffrey C. Kinkley with its
prestigious 2010 Fellowship in recognition of his scholarly
contributions to the Humanities.
Professor Kinkley, who earned his doctorate from Harvard
University, was one of 180 fellows selected from over 3,000
candidates. The foundation chooses awardees based on their past
achievements and promise for future research. Professor Kinkley was
recognized for his literary criticism, “The dystopian imagination
of China’s avant-garde.” His areas of expertise are in twentieth
century Chinese intellectual and literary history, and history
through literature.
“I feel honored to join the august company of scholars and
creative artists who are Guggenheim Fellows,” said Professor
Kinkley. “I plan to write a book about China's epic historical
novels, particularly those composed during the last 25 years. Many
of these works, by major literary artists such as Mo Yan, Su Tong,
and Yu Hua, are translated into English and have found readers in
America.”
The Guggenheim Fellowships are colloquially referred to as
“mid-career” awards by the foundation, meaning that those who are
given the awards have already demonstrated exceptional capacity to
produce extensive scholarship. The work of the applicants is judged
by experts in their own field.
Those historians who joined Professor Kinkley and St. John’s
University in receiving the distinguished fellowship come from some
of the most revered institutions of higher learning in America,
including Harvard, Vanderbilt, New York University and Yale.
In all, this year’s fellows represent fifty-nine disciplines and
sixty-five different academic institutions.
“Since its establishment in 1925, the Guggenheim Memorial
Foundation has granted over $281 million in fellowships to more
than 16,900 individuals. Those who have been given the award
include numerous Nobel, Pulitzer, and other prizewinners,” said
Edward Hirsch, president of the Guggenheim Foundation, during a
press conference held last week to announce the honorees.
For more information contact Dominic Scianna, Assistant Vice
President for Media Relations, St. John’s University by calling
(718) 990-6185 or e-mail inquiries to sciannad@stjohns.edu.