Internationally Renowned Expert on John Milton, King James Bible to visit USM Hattiesburg Campus

Dr. Gordon Campbell, a world-renowned authority on the works of English poet John Milton, who wrote the epic poem Paradise Lost, will be a guest speaker on the Hattiesburg campus Wednesday Oct. 10 for the program “Milton for Mississippi.”  The free program will be held at 7 p.m. in Gonzales Auditorium (room 108) in the Liberal Arts Building on the Hattiesburg campus.

A member of the faculty of the University of Leicester (England), Dr. Campbell is considered at the forefront of current Milton scholarship. He was called upon by Oxford University Press to update their standard two-volume biography of Milton, as well as to write the long entry on Milton in their authoritative Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Along with Professor Thomas N. Corns (University of Bangor), Campbell is Oxford University Press's general editor of their forthcoming 11-volume edition of the complete works of Milton, which they intend to be the authoritative collection for the 21st century. 

Dr. Campbell has lectured all over the world. His professional travel has taken him to approximately 70 countries, and his other scholarly travels to all seven continents. In the U.S., he has spoken in 24 states and the nation's capital. He is a fellow of the British Academy, the Society of Antiquaries, the Linnean Society, the Royal Historical Society, the Royal Geographical Society, and the Royal Asiatic Society. He has published widely and authoritatively on Renaissance literature, Milton, the history of the King James Bible, and many others subjects.

In addition, Southern Miss has partnered with William Carey University to have Dr.  Campbell speak on the following day on the subject of William Carey's use of the King James Bible during a presentation at Fail-Asbury Hall Auditorium on the William Carey Hattiesburg campus Thursday, Oct. 11 at 2 p.m.

Dr. Jameela Lares, professor of English at Southern Miss and the Charles W. Moorman Distinguished Professor in the Humanities for 2017-19, is coordinating “Milton for Mississippi.” The program is funded by Dr. Lares' tenure as USM's Charles W. Moorman Distinguished Professor of the Humanities for 2017-19.

The Moorman Professorship is made possible by the USM Foundation, through a matching grant from the Phil Hardin Foundation. It honors Charles W. Moorman, a longtime Southern Miss professor of English and Vice President for Academic Affairs in the 1970s. The professorship is awarded biennially for a two-year term to a senior professor in English, history, foreign languages, or philosophy.

“It is difficult to go very far at all in the extensive scholarly publications on Milton without running across his (Campbell's) name,” Dr. Lares said. “Having such an internationally prestigious Milton specialist come to USM is a dream come true.”

For more information about this event, contact Dr. Lares at jameela.laresFREEMississippi.