School of English Conference Recognises Works of Clive Barker

Jul 20, 2011

A conference hosted by the School of English recently marked the contribution made to popular literature by the world famous writer, artist and film maker, Clive Barker.   The conference, which featured Clive Barker as guest of honour, highlighted papers from distinguished scholars of both film and literature from the US, Canada, Ireland and the UK. 

Speaking after the conference Head of the School of English Dr Darryl Jones said: “The appearance in Trinity College of a writer and cultural figure as famous and important as Clive Barker demonstrates once again the international pre-eminence of the School of English as a centre for the study of popular literature.  Both Clive and the School of English intend this visit to constitute the first chapter in a long relationship with the College.”

Clive Barker is an English author, film maker and visual artist, best known for the Hellraiser and Candyman films.  His writings focus on the genres of horror and fantasy and his short story collection, The Book of Blood, established him as a leading author of horror.   He has penned numerous fictional novels, including Weaveworld, Imagica and the Arabat series, and is a prolific visual artist, often illustrating his own books.  Following the conference Barker spoke to attendees about his career which was followed by a rare theatrical screening of his early films, Salomé and The Forbidden, in the Irish Film Institute.