Lecture
Professor David Peimer
Saturday 11.10.2025
Professor David Peimer
Rule Brittania! Great Literature of the British Empire
Saturday 11.10.2025
How to watch
This lecture starts on 11 October at 5:00pm (UK).
Summary
Britain’s global empire was once considered the world’s greatest (“His Majesty’s dominions on which the sun never sets”). How was it portrayed in literature? Did writers romanticize or criticize the entire enterprise? Did the British spread civilization, law, railways, technology, and education, or was that merely a pretext for exploitation, taxes, cheap labor, and resources? As such, British literature is gripped by contradictions: superior/inferior, adventure stories and exoticism, the “other,” and missionaries—all to improve the world or exploit it. We explore these ideas in the novels of Conrad, Kipling, Forster, Conan Doyle, Defoe, Baden-Powell, ClR James, Achebe, Coetzee, VS Naipul, and Rider Haggard.
Professor David Peimer
David Peimer is a Professor of Literature, Film and Theatre in the UK. He has worked for the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, New York University (Global Division) and was a Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University. Born in South Africa, David has won numerous awards for playwriting and directing. He has most recently directed Dame Janet Suzman in his own play, Joanna’s Story, at London Jewish Book Week. He has published numerous books, including Armed Response: Plays from South Africa and the digital book Theatre in the Camps. He is on the board of the Pinter Centre (London), and has been involved with the Mandela Foundation, Vaclav Havel Foundation and directed a range of plays at Mr Havel’s Prague theatre.