Peter Messent

Peter B. Messent (1946 or 1947 – March 2026) was a British academic who was a distinguished professor of American Studies at the University of Nottingham, and the author of several books of literary studies about Mark Twain.

Early life and education Messent was born in Wimbledon, London, the son of Rosa (née Burger) and John Messent, then the deputy clerk of the Metropolitan Water Board. He had three siblings. Becoming a full professor in 1999

Personal life and death Messent married Brenda Courcha in 1971, with whom he had two children. They divorced in 1987. He later married Carin Davis in 1994, who died in 2023.

Selected works A full bibliography can be found here:

Awards His 2009 work Mark Twain and Male Friendship won the EAAS American Studies Network Book Prize and the British Association for American Studies (BAAS) Annual Book Prize.