About Barbara Hardy
Lived 1924 – 2016 (aged 91). Barbara Hardy was a British literary historian, poet, writer, literary scholar, university teacher and man of letters.
Barbara Gladys Hardy, (née Nathan; 27 June 1924 – 12 February 2016) was a British literary scholar, author, and poet. As an academic, she specialised in the literature of the 19th Century. From 1965 to 1970, she was Professor of English at Royal Holloway College, University of London. Then, from 1970 to 1989, she was Professor of English Literature at Birkbeck College, University of London.
Early life and education Hardy was born on 27 June 1924 in Swansea, Wales.
She was educated at Swansea High School for Girls, a grammar school. In 1988 she delivered the British Academy's Sarah Tryphena Phillips Lecture in American Literature and History. In 1997, she was awarded the Sagittarius Prize by the Society of Authors for her novel London Lovers. She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL) in 1997, and a Senior Fellow of the British Academy (FBA) in 2006.
Selected works Academic
Personal
Poetry Dante's Ghosts (Paekakariki Press, 2013)
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Important facts
People in Barbara Hardy's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Related people
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Contemporaries
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Barbara Hardy?
Welsh literary scholar, author, poet (1924–2016)
When was Barbara Hardy born?
Barbara Hardy was born on 27 June 1924 in Swansea.
When did Barbara Hardy die?
Barbara Hardy died on 12 February 2016.
What was Barbara Hardy's occupation?
Barbara Hardy was a literary historian, poet, writer, literary scholar, university teacher and man of letters.
What nationality was Barbara Hardy?
Barbara Hardy was British.
Sources & further reading
· DBpedia: Barbara Hardy (literary scholar)
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Barbara Hardy. https://biography.guide/barbara-hardy/
MLA: "Barbara Hardy." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/barbara-hardy/.
Chicago: "Barbara Hardy." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/barbara-hardy/.
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