The annual meeting was held at Emmanuel College, Cambridge on 20 and 21 March.

PROGRAMME

Friday 20 March

2.15pm          Committee Meeting

4pm                 Literature into Film, J.R. Surry (Head of Modern Languages, Winchester College)

John Surry explored what is lost – and gained – when a novel is translated into film with reference to Eric Rohmer’s film of Heinrich von Kleist’s novel Die Marquise von O.

7pm                 Conference Dinner

9pm                  Chekhov and the English Governess, Harvey Pitcher

Harvey Pitcher had been a Lecturer in Russian at St Andrew’s University, but was a full-time writer by the time he addressed the Oliver Prior Society in 1981. He had already published three books on Chekhov. In his talk to the Society, Harvey Pitcher considered the life of Lily Glassby, the English governess on whom Chekhov based the governess in The Cherry Orchard.

Saturday 21 March

9.30am            Baudelaire: Apprentice and Master, Dr Rosemary Lloyd (New Hall, Cambridge)

Rosemary Lloyd taught at Cambridge between 1979 and 1991 before moving to Indiana University where she is now Rudy Professor Emerita of French. She was elected to the Australian Academy of the Humanities in 2009.

11.30am           On the Production of French Drama, Dr Merlin Thomas (New College, Oxford)

Merlin Thomas drew on his experience of producing French drama in his academic talks. Beyond French drama, he edited the Penguin French Dictionary with Raymond Escoffey – also at speaker at an Oliver Prior Society annual meeting. He remained at Oxford until 1987. Merlin Thomas died in 1996.