Margaret Atack

Margaret Atack was a British scholar of French literature, with a focus on the Second World War.

Early life

Born in Leicester, England, Atack moved frequently with her family before settling in Liverpool in the late 1960s. She attended St Mary's School, Shaftesbury, a Catholic boarding school, before earning a first-class degree in French at University College London (UCL) in 1971.[1]

Career

Atack completed her PhD and began teaching at UCL, later holding posts at Southampton and Cardiff universities. She joined the University of Leeds in 1979, where she served in various leadership roles, including professor, head of French, dean of arts, and pro-vice-chancellor for research. She also led humanities and social studies at Sunderland Polytechnic from 1989 to 1993, before returning to Leeds.[1]

She was an authority on French literature about the Resistance and the Occupation. Her 1989 book Literature and the French Resistance remains influential. She also co-edited three books and wrote a number of articles on feminism in post-war France. Her 2020 monograph, Jean-François Vilar: Theatres of Crime, examined the French political crime writer Jean-François Vilar [fr].[2]

Later life

Atack partially retired in 2016 and fully in 2022.

Margaret met her partner, the translator and historian David Macey (d. 2011), when she was a student. They adopted three children. Margaret is survived by her children, six grandchildren and her brother.

She died of cancer aged 75.[1]

Selected bibliography

• Literature and the French Resistance: Cultural Politics and Narrative Forms 1940–1950. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1989.[3]
• Contemporary French fiction by women: feminist perspectives. Manchester: Manchester University Press. 1990. ISBN 978-0-7190-3084-0.[4]
• May 68 in French Fiction and Film: Rethinking Representation, Rethinking Society (1991)[5]
• Collier, Peter; Atack, Margaret; Fell, Alison S.; Holmes, Diana; Long, Imogen (30 November 2017). French Feminisms 1975 and After. Oxford ; New York: Peter Lang Limited, International Academic Publishers. ISBN 978-3-0343-2209-6.[6]
• Atack, Margaret; Fell, Alison S.; Holmes, Diana; Long, Imogen (11 December 2019). Making Waves. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press. ISBN 978-1-78962-455-7.[7]
• Jean-François Vilar: Theatres of Crime. Cambridge: Legenda, 2020.

References

1. Holmes, Diana (9 February 2024). "Margaret Atack obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
2. Holmes, Diana; Silverman, Max (11 July 2024). "Margaret Atack (1948–2023)". French Studies. 78 (3): 561–562. doi:10.1093/fs/knae052.
3. Review of Literature and the French Resistance
   • Houlding, Elizabeth A. (1993). "Review of Literature and the French Resistance: Cultural Politics and Narrative Forms, 1940-1950". L'Esprit Créateur. 33 (1): 122. ISSN 0014-0767. JSTOR 26286608.
4. Review of Contemporary French fiction by women
   • Becker, Lucille (1992). "Review of Contemporary French Fiction by Women". World Literature Today. 66 (1): 91–92. doi:10.2307/40147882. ISSN 0196-3570. JSTOR 40147882.
5. Reviews of May 68 in French Fiction and Film
   • Higgins, Lynn A. (2001). "Review of May 68 in French Fiction and Film: Rethinking Society, Rethinking Representation". French Forum. 26 (2): 116–118. ISSN 0098-9355. JSTOR 40552183.
   • West, Joan M. (2002). "Review of May 68 in French Fiction and Film: Rethinking Society, Rethinking Representation". The French Review. 75 (3): 622–623. ISSN 0016-111X. JSTOR 3132882.
   • Orr, Mary (2001). "Review of May 68 in French Fiction and Film: Rethinking Society, Rethinking Representation". The Modern Language Review. 96 (1): 211. doi:10.2307/3735786. ISSN 0026-7937. JSTOR 3735786.
6. Review of French Feminisms 1975 and After
   • Angelo, Adrienne (2018). "Review of French Feminisms 1975 and After: New Readings, New Texts". French Forum. 43 (1): 173–176. ISSN 0098-9355. JSTOR 26665047.
7. Review of Making Waves
   • Versini, Dominique Carlini (2020). "Review of Making Waves: French Feminisms and their Legacies 1975–2015". The Modern Language Review. 115 (4): 926–927. doi:10.1353/mlr.2020.0117. ISSN 0026-7937. JSTOR 10.5699/modelangrevi.115.4.0926.