Brian Nelson

Brian Nelson (born 29 September 1946 in Holbeach, Lincolnshire, UK) is a professor emeritus of French Studies at Monash University, Melbourne.

Nelson graduated with an undergraduate degree from Cambridge University and did postgraduate work at Oxford University where he obtained his D.Phil. in 1979. Before going to Monash he taught one year in Paris (1970–71) and several years at the University of Wales Aberystwyth (1973–86). In 1986, he became professor at Monash and retired in 2008.

Nelson was formerly the editor of the Australian Journal of French Studies (2002-2020), co-founded the journal Romance Studies, edited the monograph series Monash Romance Studies,

Selected works Author Zola and the Bourgeoisie: A Study of Themes and Techniques in (1982) Émile Zola: A Selective Analytical Bibliography (1982) The Cambridge Introduction to French Literature (2015) Emile Zola: A Very Short Introduction (2020)

Editor Naturalism in the European novel: New Critical Perspectives (1992) Telling Performances: Essays on gender, narrative and performance (2001) Practising Theory: Pierre Bourdieu and the Field of Cultural Production (2004) After Blanchot: Literature, Philosophy, Criticism (2005) The Cambridge Companion to Zola (2007) Perspectives on Literature and Translation: Creation, Circulation, Reception (2013)

Translator Emile Zola, The Ladies' Paradise (Oxford, 1995) Emile Zola, Pot Luck (Oxford, 1999) Emile Zola, The Kill (Oxford, 2004) Emile Zola, The Belly of Paris (Oxford, 2007) Emile Zola, The Fortune of the Rougons (Oxford, 2012) Emile Zola, Earth (Oxford, 2016) Emile Zola, His Excellency Eugène Rougon (Oxford, 2018) Emile Zola, The Assommoir (Oxford, 2021) Marcel Proust, Swann in Love (Oxford, 2017) Marcel Proust, The Swann Way (Oxford, 2023)

Awards and honours Jebb Studentship (University of Cambridge) (1969–71) Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Palmes Académiques (2003) Runner-up, International Federation of Translators "Aurora Borealis" Prize for Outstanding Translation of Fiction (2011) Elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities (2011) Winner of the Translation Prize, New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards (2015) Officier dans l'Ordre des Palmes Academiques(2021)