The Susan Manning Memorial Lecture In brief Date - 20 March 2026Speaker - Professor Cedric Tolliver (University of Oklahoma)Chair - Professor Penny Fielding (University of Edinburgh)Title - Shadow War: The Ellisonian Complex of African American Spy FictionVenue - Lecture Theatre G.03, 50 George Square Book your free ticket on Eventbrite The 2026 lectureShadow War: The Ellisonian Complex of African American Spy Fiction2026's Susan Manning Memorial Lecture will be given by Professor Cedric Tolliver (University of Oklahoma), and titled 'Shadow War: The Ellisonian Complex of African American Spy Fiction'.About the speakerProfessor Cedric Tolliver is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at the University of Oklahoma. He achieved his BA with concentrations in French and Literature from Sarah Lawrence College, before completing his MA and PhD in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory at the University of Pennsylvania.Before joining the University of Oklahoma, he was Assistant Professor and Associate Professor of English at the University of Houston for twelve years. From 2022 to 2023, he held the MH Abrams Fellowship at the National Humanities Center.Despite working in literary and cultural studies, Professor Tolliver is drawn to questions of power and history. He tends to approach literary and cultural objects from what they might tell us about the operations of power in history.Visit Professor Tolliver's websiteHow to attendThis event is free to attend and open to all. Spaces are limited, so you can reserve your spot on Eventbrite. Book your free ticket on Eventbrite The Susan Manning Memorial LectureProfessor Susan Manning was Grierson Professor of English Literature and Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH) at the University of Edinburgh until her unexpected death in 2013.This annual lecture commemorates Susan as an internationally renowned academic with wide interests, particularly in Transatlanticism, and as an inspiring influence for an international coterie of scholars in the humanities.Occasionally, the Lecture has been held as part of a wider event, such as Edinburgh Spy Week in 2019 and Muriel Spark 100 in 2018.Previous lectures in the seriesSpeakerDateVenueThemeProfessor Paul Saint Amour (University of Pennsylvania)14 March 202550 George SquareTechniques of the Interwar Land Observer: Crawford, Watkins, Maltwood, WoolfProfessor Yoon Sun Lee (Wellesley College, Massachusetts)22 March 202450 George SquareRace, Labor, and Gratitude: Austen, Edgeworth, and the West IndiesProfessor Anahid Nersessian (University of California)24 March 202350 George SquareHouse on Fire: On the Unfinished Business of RomanticismProfessor Caroline Levine (Cornell University)6 May 202250 George SquarePlots of Precarity and Sustainable EndingsProfessor Laura Marcus (New College, University of Oxford)21 May 2021Online (Zoom)'The Noise of Time': Autobiography and History in the 1930sProfessor Adam Piette (University of Sheffield)5 April 201950 George SquareThe Revolutionary Double Agent and Cold War CitizenshipJanice Galloway6 April 201850 George Square'There’s something a bit harsh about you, Fleur’: Muriel Spark and her voicesProfessor Caryl Phillips (Yale University)24 March 201750 George SquareA Sense of HomeProfessor David Bromwich (Yale University)18 March 201650 George Square‘The Single State of Man’ and Killing Caesar and DuncanProfessor Hermione Lee (University of Oxford)20 February 201550 George SquareCharacter in Biography: “The Most Really Interesting Problem”Professor Maureen McLane (New York University)21 February 2014St. Cecilia's HallToward a Compositionist Poetics: From Ballad Rhizomatics to the MeshAre you interested in studying English Literature at LLC?Based in the first UNESCO City of Literature, we are home to the oldest department of English Literature in the UK, one of the longest established in the world. Study with us and you'll explore the varying and vital roles that literary writing plays in our lives and societies. We offer a range of single and joint honours undergraduate degrees, taught postgraduate degrees, and research-led pathways, including MSc by Research degrees and PhDs.Find out more about English Literature at LLC Tags English and Scottish Literature Mar 20 2026 17.00 - 18.30 The Susan Manning Memorial Lecture Join us in person for the Susan Manning Memorial Lecture 2026 by Professor Cedric Tolliver (University of Oklahoma), followed by a Q&A and reception. Lecture Theatre G.03 50 George Square Edinburgh EH8 9LH Find the venue: 50 George Square Book your free ticket on Eventbrite
The Susan Manning Memorial Lecture In brief Date - 20 March 2026Speaker - Professor Cedric Tolliver (University of Oklahoma)Chair - Professor Penny Fielding (University of Edinburgh)Title - Shadow War: The Ellisonian Complex of African American Spy FictionVenue - Lecture Theatre G.03, 50 George Square Book your free ticket on Eventbrite The 2026 lectureShadow War: The Ellisonian Complex of African American Spy Fiction2026's Susan Manning Memorial Lecture will be given by Professor Cedric Tolliver (University of Oklahoma), and titled 'Shadow War: The Ellisonian Complex of African American Spy Fiction'.About the speakerProfessor Cedric Tolliver is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at the University of Oklahoma. He achieved his BA with concentrations in French and Literature from Sarah Lawrence College, before completing his MA and PhD in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory at the University of Pennsylvania.Before joining the University of Oklahoma, he was Assistant Professor and Associate Professor of English at the University of Houston for twelve years. From 2022 to 2023, he held the MH Abrams Fellowship at the National Humanities Center.Despite working in literary and cultural studies, Professor Tolliver is drawn to questions of power and history. He tends to approach literary and cultural objects from what they might tell us about the operations of power in history.Visit Professor Tolliver's websiteHow to attendThis event is free to attend and open to all. Spaces are limited, so you can reserve your spot on Eventbrite. Book your free ticket on Eventbrite The Susan Manning Memorial LectureProfessor Susan Manning was Grierson Professor of English Literature and Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH) at the University of Edinburgh until her unexpected death in 2013.This annual lecture commemorates Susan as an internationally renowned academic with wide interests, particularly in Transatlanticism, and as an inspiring influence for an international coterie of scholars in the humanities.Occasionally, the Lecture has been held as part of a wider event, such as Edinburgh Spy Week in 2019 and Muriel Spark 100 in 2018.Previous lectures in the seriesSpeakerDateVenueThemeProfessor Paul Saint Amour (University of Pennsylvania)14 March 202550 George SquareTechniques of the Interwar Land Observer: Crawford, Watkins, Maltwood, WoolfProfessor Yoon Sun Lee (Wellesley College, Massachusetts)22 March 202450 George SquareRace, Labor, and Gratitude: Austen, Edgeworth, and the West IndiesProfessor Anahid Nersessian (University of California)24 March 202350 George SquareHouse on Fire: On the Unfinished Business of RomanticismProfessor Caroline Levine (Cornell University)6 May 202250 George SquarePlots of Precarity and Sustainable EndingsProfessor Laura Marcus (New College, University of Oxford)21 May 2021Online (Zoom)'The Noise of Time': Autobiography and History in the 1930sProfessor Adam Piette (University of Sheffield)5 April 201950 George SquareThe Revolutionary Double Agent and Cold War CitizenshipJanice Galloway6 April 201850 George Square'There’s something a bit harsh about you, Fleur’: Muriel Spark and her voicesProfessor Caryl Phillips (Yale University)24 March 201750 George SquareA Sense of HomeProfessor David Bromwich (Yale University)18 March 201650 George Square‘The Single State of Man’ and Killing Caesar and DuncanProfessor Hermione Lee (University of Oxford)20 February 201550 George SquareCharacter in Biography: “The Most Really Interesting Problem”Professor Maureen McLane (New York University)21 February 2014St. Cecilia's HallToward a Compositionist Poetics: From Ballad Rhizomatics to the MeshAre you interested in studying English Literature at LLC?Based in the first UNESCO City of Literature, we are home to the oldest department of English Literature in the UK, one of the longest established in the world. Study with us and you'll explore the varying and vital roles that literary writing plays in our lives and societies. We offer a range of single and joint honours undergraduate degrees, taught postgraduate degrees, and research-led pathways, including MSc by Research degrees and PhDs.Find out more about English Literature at LLC Tags English and Scottish Literature Mar 20 2026 17.00 - 18.30 The Susan Manning Memorial Lecture Join us in person for the Susan Manning Memorial Lecture 2026 by Professor Cedric Tolliver (University of Oklahoma), followed by a Q&A and reception. Lecture Theatre G.03 50 George Square Edinburgh EH8 9LH Find the venue: 50 George Square Book your free ticket on Eventbrite
Mar 20 2026 17.00 - 18.30 The Susan Manning Memorial Lecture Join us in person for the Susan Manning Memorial Lecture 2026 by Professor Cedric Tolliver (University of Oklahoma), followed by a Q&A and reception.
