Professor Dr. Robert Macfarlane

Biography

Robert Macfarlane is a Professor of Literature and Environmental Humanities at the University of Cambridge, where he is a fellow of Emmanuel College. A well-known writer, his works explore themes of nature, climate, and landscape, evident in titles such as 'Underland' (2019), 'Ness' (2018), and 'Landmarks' (2015). His books have been translated into more than thirty languages, and he has received numerous awards, including the EM Forster Prize for Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2017, and the inaugural Weston International Award in 2023 for career achievement in non-fiction. Macfarlane has worked with various artists, including Olafur Eliasson and Jackie Morris, co-creating internationally bestselling nature-poetry art books such as 'Lost Words' (2017) and 'Lost Spells' (2020). He has also ventured into music and performance, collaborating with musicians and adapting literary works for audio drama. His current research interests encompass the environmental humanities, geology, and various themes related to walking and material culture, with a particular focus on the Anthropocene and its implications. He convenes an MPhil course on 'Cultures of the Anthropocene' and supervises students exploring diverse topics within literature and its interaction with contemporary issues.

Research Interests