Christian A. Smith

I am saddened to let you know that Shakespeare colleague Christian Smith passed away in his sleep on the morning of Sat., 6 Aug. 2022. He is survived by his partner, Annie Barker, in Berlin & by family members in Los Angeles. He earned his PhD in the Dept. of English & Comparative Studies at the University of Warwick, where he worked as a Teaching Fellow. He was awarded an Honorary Shakespeare Research Fellowship at Kingston University London. Routledge recently published his monograph, Shakespeare’s Influence on Karl Marx: The Shakespearean Roots of Marxism (2022). He co-edited a Marx bicentennial special issue of the journal, Shakespeare, & contributed the chapters, “Marxist Studies,” to The Arden Research Handbook of Contemporary Shakespeare Criticism (2021, 2022) & “Translating Orchids: Rhizomes in German Shakespeare Translation,” to The Shakespearean International Yearbook 19 (2021). He was active in many professional associations — SAA (Shakespeare Assn. of America), ESRA (European Shakespeare Research Assn.), BSA (British Shakespeare Assn.), MLA (Modern Language Assn. of America), & Kingston Shakespeare — having co-organized & co-led several paper panels & research seminars in recent years. His authoritative, vigorous, & spirited presence at these meetings will be dearly missed.

Evelyn Gajowski