Colin Graham Hardie (16 February 1906 ? 17 October 1998) was a British classicist and academic. From 1933 to 1936, he was Director of the British School at Rome . From 1936 to 1973, he was a Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford , and a tutor in classics. In addition, from 1967 to 1973, he was the Public Orator of the University of Oxford . He was a member of the Inklings , an informal literary discussion group which included the likes of J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis .

Early life [ edit ]

Hardie was born on 16 February 1906 in Edinburgh , Scotland , ^[1] the third son of William Ross Hardie and his wife Isabella Watt Hardie ( nee Stevenson). His father was a Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford , and Professor of Humanity at the University of Edinburgh . ^[2] His brother, Frank , also went on to become a successful classicist. He was educated at Edinburgh Academy , a private school . ^[2] He then went on to study at Balliol College, University of Oxford as a Warner Exhibitioner and Honorary Scholar. He took firsts in both Mods (1926) and Greats (1928). He won four classical prizes during his undergraduate studies; ^[2] Ireland Scholar and Craven Scholar in 1925, ^[3] Hertford Scholar in 1926 and the Gaisford Prize for Greek Prose in 1927. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in 1928, ^[1] which was promoted to Master of Arts (MA) in 1931. ^[2]

Career [ edit ]

Upon graduation, Hardie was appointed to a Junior Research Fellowship in Balliol College, Oxford . He held the post from 1928 to 1929. In 1930, he was elected a Fellow and classical tutor of that college. ^[2] On 1 February 1933, he was unanimously elected Director of the British School at Rome . ^[1] He held the post until 1936, when he was succeeded by Ralegh Radford . ^[4] He returned to England from Italy to become a Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford , and a tutor in classics. ^[5]

He took a break from his academic work during World War II . As many academics did, he lent his services to the War Office from 1941 to 1943. ^[5] He then went on to work at the Admiralty 's Inter-Services Topographical Department, based in Oxford, until the end of the war in 1945. ^[1]

Following the war, he returned to Magdalen College. There he taught classics until his retirement in 1973. ^[2] His scholarly work was largely centred on Virgil and Dante . He was a member of the Inklings , the informal literary discussion group centred on the University of Oxford. ^[5] Hardie was also a part of the Socratic Club where he presented papers. ^[6] For the final six years of his time at the University of Oxford, from 1967 to 1973, he was the Public Orator ; a role in which he acted as the voice of the university during public occasions such as royal visits and the presentation of honorary degrees . ^[1]

Photographs contributed by Hardie to the Conway Library are currently being digitised by the Courtauld Institute of Art , as part of the Courtauld Connects project. ^[7]

Later life [ edit ]

Following his retirement in 1973, Hardie and his wife moved away from Oxford to Rackham Cottage, near the village of Pulborough , Sussex . ^[1] From 1971 to 1990, he was the Royal Academy 's Honorary Professor of Ancient Literature. ^[2]

He died in Chichester , West Sussex on 17 October 1998. ^[1]

Personal life [ edit ]

Hardie married Christian Viola Mary Lucas in 1940. ^[2] Together they had two sons, Nicholas and Anthony. ^[8] He converted to Roman Catholicism in 1945. ^[5]

Selected works [ edit ]

• Hardie, Colin, ed. (1954). Vitae Vergilianae Antiquae: Vita Donati, Vita Servii, Vita Probiana, Vita Focae, S. Hieronymi Excerpta . Oxford: Clarendon Press.
• Kepler, Johannes (1966) [1611]. De nive sexangula [ The six-cornered snowflake ] (in Latin and English). Translated by Colin Hardie. Oxford: Clarendon Press. OCLC   974730 .

References [ edit ]