I am writing to share the sad news that Bob Brophy has died. The Los Angeles Times obituary can be accessed here.
Bob’s 1973 study, Robinson Jeffers: Myth, Ritual, and Symbol in His Narrative Poems catalyzed a generation of renewed scholarship on Jeffers and remains central to our explorations of his work to this day. As the editor of the Robinson Jeffers Newsletter and the founding editor of its successor Jeffers Studies, Bob wove together the voices of both new and senior scholars, extended the conversation of Jeffers globally, all the while continuing to provide a trove of important documentary material and critical reflection through his own scholarly efforts. Bob was also a founding member of the Robinson Jeffers Association. Those of us who worked with Bob over the years knew him as a gracious and generous mentor. Through his scholarship, through his editorial work, through his work with RJA, and through his teaching, he was the architect of what has become the Jeffers scholarly community, and he was its informing spirit.
Bob, We loved you and we will miss you.
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If you have a memories or comments you would like to share with the RJA community and with Bob’s family, please send them to: tahunt@ilstu.edu.