IES Abroad London’s retired founding faculty member, Raymond Chapman died peacefully at home on Tuesday, November 5th at the age of 89. His funeral was held at St. Mary's Church Barnes, where the Reverend Raymond Chapman, an ordained Anglican priest, had served, regularly celebrating and preaching, since 1982.
Professor Chapman held degrees from Oxford and London, and was a Professor Emeritus of English Literature at the London School of Economics. He was the recipient of the 2008-2009 Long-Time Faculty Award from IES Abroad. He retired from IES London after more than 30 years of teaching IES Abroad students. His courses on Shakespeare and Victorian literature were always among the most popular center courses. He served briefly as Interim Director of the program in the 1990s.
He published a number of books on both literary and devotional subjects. Chapman had a relatively short career writing as Simon Nash, authoring stories that are considered archetypes of the academic-as-detective subgenre. Chapman is also the author of The Victorian Debate; English Literature and Society 1832-1901 (1968), Linguistics and Literature (1973), The Language of English Literature (1982), The Language of Thomas Hardy (1990), and Forms of Speech in Victorian Fiction (1994). He also wrote several books on Anglican liturgy. He was also a talented Shakespearean actor.
Chapman’s active involvement in both educational and religious associations included his roles as, Chairman of the Irish Literary Society, a tutor with International Education of Students, a Fellow of the English Association, President of the Anglican Association, and a Vice-President of the Prayer Book Society. He also lectured in France, Germany, Finland and the United States.
Raymond Chapman was well-respected by students and colleagues alike, and considered a truly remarkable man who will be missed.
A 2011 Tribute to Professor Chapman in Honor of His Retirement
