Nigel Foxcroft

Nigel H Foxcroft's interdisciplinary areas of research focus on modern Anglo-American and Russian literature. He is an international authority on the English late modernist writer, Malcolm Lowry, especially on his psychogeographic perception of the interconnectedness of East-West cultures and civilizations.

His monograph, The Kaleidoscopic Vision of Malcolm Lowry: Souls and Shamans (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2019) is an interdisciplinary investigation of his multifaceted insight through an analysis of his works and correspondence. It provides a historical lens spotlighting literature’s role in augmenting awareness of the roots of contemporary issues of universal significance. Its URL is:<https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781498516570/The-Kaleidoscopic-Vision-of-Malcolm-Lowry-Souls-and-Shamans>.

Reviews of The Kaleidoscopic Vision of Malcolm Lowry

"Malcolm Lowry, born in England and longtime resident of Mexico and Canada, is one of the greatest yet also one of the least understood and least appreciated of twentieth-century English writers. Nigel Foxcroft's scrupulous study unravels Lowry's heterogeneous erudition and what he calls his 'kaleidoscopic vision of the world'. Foxcroft provides the biographical, historical, cultural and above all the literary contexts of a magpie writer who drew upon American, Norwegian, German and Russian literatures, European silent cinema, contemporary anthropology and philosophy and mystical and esoteric sources to create the remarkable writing, global in scope, of 'an international modernist visionary'. This rich and illuminating account will help readers appreciate more fully the singularity and the achievement of this extraordinary writer."

— Dr Alistair Davies, University of Sussex

"I have just finished reading The Kaleidoscopic Vision of Malcolm Lowry and am deeply impressed by Nigel H. Foxcroft’s truly informative and powerful discussion. I am overwhelmed by his wide range of reading and extensive research, from anthropology and ancient religion to European, Russian, and American writings, and even to Indian and Chinese thoughts. I am also attracted by Lowry's religious dimensions, somehow comparable to those of shamans. I am so encouraged to tackle Lowry's works again. I think that this monograph is an important corrective to the Euro-centred understanding of modernism, to be read not only by Lowry specialists but also by everyone interested in modernism in general.

Another point that interested me is that In Ballast to the White Sea - the latest work to be published and a key text bridging the early and mature Lowry - seems to occupy the near centre in Foxcroft’s discussion of the Lowrian canon. The Kaleidoscopic Vision of Malcolm Lowry is quite unique in that respect."

— Dr Kazuo Yokouchi, Professor of English Literature and Vice-Dean of the School of Humanities, Kwansei Gakuin University, Nishinomiya, Japan

“The Kaleidoscopic Vision of Malcolm Lowry is an engaging and enjoyable book that provides a wealth of insights into this important writer. […] this is […] a work that uncovers so much and in a generous manner that will open up the works for generations of readers.”

— Andrew Hadfield, Professor of English, University of Sussex, in Notes and Queries, 2021-02-23, Oxford Journals, ISSN: 0029-3970

"The Kaleidoscopic Vision of Malcolm Lowry is an excellent and important publication. While I have long been aware of the spiritual and cultural influences in Lowry’s writings, Nigel H. Foxcroft has thoroughly examined those influences and their impacts. Therefore, he has highlighted and connected many new thoughts and ‘visions’ for all those interested in Lowry. Moreover, he does so in a style that is clear and concise. He has made me once again be amazed at Lowry’s ‘kaleidoscopic’ interests and knowledge, and his ability to weave those interests into such unique and riveting novels and short stories. Foxcroft has made me want to re-read all of Lowry’s works again as I now have some fresh insights! I am also amazed at the research that he has conducted, and the rigorous ways in which he has drawn that research together – a major undertaking."

— Sheryl Salloum, an independent scholar, Vancouver

"I have finished The Kaleidoscopic Vision of Malcolm Lowry. I really enjoyed it!  The writing is clear and direct, which is a big plus. What I really enjoyed is that Nigel H. Foxcroft has tried to take ALL Lowry’s works, including the letters, and put them into a common, coherent framework. Most commentators just concentrate on ‘Volcano’ or one of the other novels. Foxcroft’s work gives a better idea than any of the others of the depth of Lowry’s reading and the inter-connectedness of his thoughts. I particularly enjoyed Foxcroft’s comments on Donnelly, Charles Fort, J. W. Dunne, and Ouspensky. Now I’m going to have to re-read the Lowry works again." 

— Dr Glenn Woodsworth, an independent scholar, Vancouver

Nigel's research aspires to contribute to developing a framework for probing the international dimensions of modernism. It aims to lay a foundation for analyzing the influence of cultures and civilizations on modernist authors and avant-garde artists.

He brings a wide-range of practices to his literary research and scholarship, including the influence of cultural, historical, and psychogeographic forces. His wider interests include modernist, postmodernist, postcolonial, and contemporary fiction; the Golden Age of Russian literature and culture (and beyond); and the history of Anglo-Hungarian cultural contacts. As well as English, he has considerable experience in teaching Hungarian and Russian.

E-mail: N.H.Foxcroft@brighton.ac.uk

Featured Works and Projects

Malcolm Lowry: Shamanism and Psychogeography

An Interdisciplinary Study of the Shamanic, Psychogeographic, and Cross-Cultural Consciousness of Malcolm Lowry

Russian Literature

Nigel Foxcroft’s research into Russian literature makes use of literary interests in psychoanalysis and innovative close-reading methods.

Blog: Sabbatical Field Trip to Mexico for the Day of the Dead, 2010

Trip to incorporate an analysis of Aztec and Zapotec world-views through a detailed study of the origins of the Mexican Day of the Dead Festival.

Research Activities and Esteem

Editorial Boards, Peer Reviewing, and Consultancies

• Peer Review College (PRC) Member of Techne Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and UK Research and Innovation (2023- ).
• Member of Editorial Board of Lingua Multica, Moscow City University (2023-)
• Reviewer for Bloomsbury, Edinburgh University Press, University of Ottawa Press, and Journal of Postcolonial Writing.
• Academic referee for the Leverhulme Trust for a grant application for an international research project in 2007-08.
• Academic consultant for Russian, Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC), Cambridge in 1999-2001.
• Member of the editorial board of Rusistika, 2008 onwards.

Keynote Speeches 

2020 ‘The Aztec and Zapotec Roots of the Mexican Day of the Dead in The Kaleidoscopic Vision of Malcolm Lowry’ (keynote), XV Coloquio Internacional Malcolm Lowry (online), Fundación Malcolm Lowry, Mexico, 31^st Oct -2^nd Nov:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXQSxauMUP0 (2^nd Nov).

2019 ‘Malcolm Lowry and the Interconnectedness of East-West Cultures and Civilizations’ (keynote lecture), XIV Malcolm Lowry International Colloquium 2019, Biblioteca Municipal Camões, Lisbon, Portugal, 30^th October.

2012 ‘Malcolm Lowry and the Mexican Day of the Dead: Anthropological, Cosmic, and Shamanic Perspectives’ (keynote speech), The Mexican Day of the Dead: Interdisciplinary Perspectives: A One-Day Symposium, Canterbury Cathedral Lodge, University of Kent, 2nd November.

2010 ‘Shamanic Influences on Malcolm Lowry: East-West Connections’, keynote lecture, 4th International Malcolm Lowry Colloquium: A Tribute to Raúl Ortiz y Ortiz, Malcolm Lowry Foundation/ Museo de la Casona Spencer, Cuernavaca, Mexico, 2nd November (http://malcolmlowry.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=foxcroft).

Conference Sessions Chaired

2014 'Humanities: Literature & Literary Studies', NACAH2014 IAFOR Conference, Marriott - Downtown, Providence, Rhode Island, USA, 18th-21st Sept.

2013 ‘Ethnicity, Difference, Identity’, ECAH2013 IAFOR Conference, Thistle, Brighton, 18^th-21^st July.

Awards

2014 Santander staff travel grant (£1700) for research visit to Mexico (Oct-Nov).

Interviews

2014 Interview in Jorge Sifuentes Cañas, ‘Foxcroft presenta ante público morelense sus investigaciones’, La Jornada Morelos, Cuernavaca, Mexico, 7^th Nov 2014, 14 (http://malcolmlowry.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=foxcroft). 

Recent Conference Papers:

2023 'Malcolm Lowry's Modernism: Under the Volcano's Fusion of Cultures and Civilizations' (online), Moscow City University, 20th Nov

2022 'Marxist Influences on Earle Birney and Malcolm Lowry,' HSS Research Away Day, Ironworks Studios, Brighton, 28th Apr

2021 'Malcolm Lowry and the Mexican Day of the Dead,' Day of the Dead 2021, Cellar Magnifique, Woking, 30th Oct

2020 ‘The Aztec and Zapotec Roots of the Mexican Day of the Dead in The Kaleidoscopic Vision of Malcolm Lowry’ (keynote), XV Coloquio Internacional Malcolm Lowry (online), Fundación Malcolm Lowry, Mexico, 31^st Oct -2^nd Nov:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXQSxauMUP0 (2^nd Nov).

2020 'Mexican Perspectives in The Kaleidoscopic Vision of Malcolm Lowry', Day of the Dead Digital Festival: Literature section, Mexican Embassy, London, 26^th Oct – 5^th Nov, https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=sPIGEhdwGgc&fbclid=IwAR1wPgFCTDNH7TM6WD3uVhxQ_3x-CaXbIKy-xMqP1bwYWh5BqkTaXgBQf6E&app=desktop (29^th Oct).

2019   ‘Malcolm Lowry and the Interconnectedness of East-West Cultures and Civilizations’ (keynote lecture), XIV Malcolm Lowry International Colloquium 2019, Biblioteca Municipal Camões, Lisbon, Portugal, 30^th October.

2017 ‘Malcolm Lowry: The Russian Dimension’, ‘Under the Volcano’, 70 Years On International Conference, Liverpool John Moores University and Bluecoat, Liverpool, 28^th-29^th July.

2016 ‘Surrealist Influences: The Inter-Connectedness of Malcolm Lowry’s Modernism’, 2^nd Sussex Modernism Lecture Series, Centre for Modernist Studies @ University of Sussex & Towner, Eastbourne, 25^th May.

2015 ‘Visions of History: Chance and Certainty in A. S. Pushkin’s The Bronze Horseman and Boris Godunov’, ICCEES IX World Congress 2015, Kanda University of International Studies, Makuhari, Japan, 3rd-8th Aug.

2014 ‘The Influence of Mexican and Russian Civilizations on Malcolm Lowry’s Shamanic Perceptions’, Updates on ‘Under the Volcano’ Round Table, International Malcolm Lowry Colloquium 2014, Malcolm Lowry Foundation/ Museo de la Casona Spencer, Cuernavaca, Mexico, 30^th Oct-2^nd Nov.

2014 ‘Malcolm Lowry: The Russian Connection’, NACAH2014 (The IAFOR N. American Conference on Arts and Humanities), Marriott – Downtown, Providence, Rhode Island, USA, 18^th-21^st Sept, & chair of lit session.

2014 ‘Dynamic Conflict in Alexander Pushkin’s Boris Godunov and The Bronze Horseman’, New UK Research in C19 Russian Literature Symposium, Darwin College, Cambridge, 1^st Feb.

2013 ‘The Power of Non-Verbal Communication in J. M. Coetzee’s Foe’, ECAH2013 IAFOR Conference, Thistle, Brighton, 18^th-21^st July & chair of session on ‘Ethnicity, Difference, Identity’.

2013 ‘Psychogeographic Impact on Malcolm Lowry's Consciousness: From the Zapotec and Aztec Civilizations to Taoism’, LibrAsia2013 IAFOR Conference, Ramada, Osaka, Japan, 4^th-7^th Apr.

2012 ‘Malcolm Lowry and the Mexican Day of the Dead: Anthropological, Cosmic, and Shamanic Perspectives’ (keynote speech), The Mexican Day of the Dead: Interdisciplinary Perspectives: A One-Day Symposium, Canterbury Cathedral Lodge, University of Kent, 2^nd Nov.

2012 ‘Aztecs and Zapotecs: The Day of the Dead and the Cosmic Phantoms of Malcolm Lowry’, Malcolm Lowry, Encore International Conference, Centre Culturel Int de Cerisy-la-Salle, France, 27^th Jun–4^th Jul.

2010 ‘Shamanic Influences on Malcolm Lowry: East-West Connections’, keynote lecture, 4^th International Malcolm Lowry Colloquium: A Tribute to Raúl Ortiz y Ortiz, Malcolm Lowry Foundation/ Museo de la Casona Spencer, Cuernavaca, Mexico, 2^nd Nov (<http://malcolmlowry.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=foxcroft>).

2010 ‘Malcolm Lowry and the Day of the Dead – An Escape to Aztec Civilization?, Faculty of Arts Research Festival, June.

2010 ‘The Shamanic Psyche of Malcolm Lowry: An Intercontinental Odyssey’, English Lit Research Seminar Series, University of Brighton, Mar.

2009 ‘Souls and Shamans: The Cosmopolitan Psychology of Malcolm Lowry’, 2009 Malcolm Lowry Centenary International Conference, University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, July.

2007 ‘A Shamanic Visionary: The Intercontinental Inspiration of Malcolm Lowry’s Magic’, Malcolm Lowry: Fifty Years On International Symposium, Modernist Studies, University of Sussex, June.

Nigel supervises PhD students in three main fields: modernist/postmodernist, postcolonial and contemporary fiction; Russian literature and film; and the history of Anglo-Hungarian cultural contacts. He is very happy to be contacted by prospective students, especially those who can see themselves contributing to the Centre for Memory, Narrative and Histories.

Specific areas of literary analysis might include:

Modernist, Postmodern, Postcolonial, and Contemporary Fiction

• The influence of cultural, anthropological, and shamanic forces on human psychology: the psychogeographic impact of Aztec and Zapotec civilizations on Malcolm Lowry
• The Mexican Day of the Dead: anthropological, cosmic, and shamanic perspectives
• Alienation, survival, and regeneration in Toni Morrison
• Verbal and non-verbal identity in J. M. Coetzee
• The representation of cultural identities and memory

The Golden Age of Russian Literature and Culture

• The influence of socio-political alienation on human psychology in the works of A. P. Chekhov, M. Yu. Lermontov, and A. S. Pushkin

History of Anglo-Hungarian Cultural Contacts

• British visitors to Hungary and Hungarian travellers to the British Isles in the early modern period onwards
• British attitudes and perceptions of Hungary (and vice-versa) and their reflection in the genre of travel writing

PhD Students Supervised: 

Ahsan, Nabila, The Representation of Young Adult Women in Angela Carter’s Work

Getz, Sierra, Censorship of Satirical Fiction and War Perceptions in American Society, 1950-1970: Bradbury, Heller, and Vonnegut

Gray, Elisa, Decadence and the Grotesque Body: The Effects of Decadent Literature on Female Identity in the Late 1800's

Ide, Gilliam, How to be a Woamn in the Modern World: An Exploration of Female Bildungsromane by Neglected Women Novelists, 1920-1960

Konow, Piammaria von, A Study of the Shamanically-Inspired Imaginary: A Cross-Cultural Study of Shamanic/Shamanistic Imagery

Saha, Mayukh, The Representation of Transnationalism and Diasporic Cognition in Selected Literature of West Bengal and Bangladesh

Stevens, Lucy, How September 11th 2001 redefined definitions of masculinity and identity for New Yorkers in Manhattan Novels

Tum, Omercan, The Representation of Muslim Masculinities in Contemporary British and American Diaspora Novels

Xin, Yue (Joy), Observing the City via Mrs Dalloway and Rickshaw Boy: The Novel as a Methodological Tool for Urban Analysis

Zivkovic, Ana, Constructions of Montenegro in the Works of British Authors from the Nineteenth Century to the Present

Nigel’s teaching portfolio has included: modern and contemporary English, American, postcolonial, and Russian literature, culture, and film; EFL (especially English language applications: International perspectives, and British culture and society); Hungarian; and Russian language and history.

He has experience as Course Leader, Examinations Officer, and Admissions Tutor for our undergraduate degree programme (the revalidation of which he has led), a member of the School Quality and Standards Committee (SQSC), Director of Literature Study Skills, and Year 2 Tutor for English Literature.

He has been a cross-university representative on various committees, including Faculty of Arts Academic Development Sub-Committee (FADS); Faculty of Health and Social Science’s Academic Board (FAB); University Academic Standards Committee (UASC); Academic Standards (FASSC), Validation (FVSC), and Modularity Management (FMMSC) Sub-Committees of the Faculty of Education and Sport; as well as School Quality Assurance Co-ordinator; Pathway Leader for Russian; and Co-ordinator for Links with Russia, East Central, and Eastern Europe.

Nigel joined the University of Brighton in 1989 after lecturing in English and Russian at the University of Szeged, Hungary. He holds various degrees - in both English Literature and Russian/Slavonic Studies - from the Universities of Leeds, Sheffield, and Sussex.

He is a member of the Memory, Narrative, and Histories (MNH) Research Collective, a registered research mentor, research degree supervisor, and Personal/Academic Tutor

His current teaching and research focus on modern and contemporary English, American, and Russian literature, as well as film.

He has led the cross-university English Literature Research Seminar Series which he established in 2009.

He was granted a one-semester university sabbatical to research Malcolm Lowry in 2010-11. This involved a research field-trip to Cuernavaca, Mexico City, and Oaxaca for the Day of the Dead Festival in November 2010. He was subsequently awarded a Santander-University of Brighton staff travel grant for a research visit to Mexico in October-November 2014.