Kirk, Russell
October 19, 1918 – April 29, 1994
Place of Birth: Plymouth, MI
Place of Principle Residence: Mecosta, MI
Biography:
Russell A. Kirk was born to Marjorie and Russell Kirk in Plymouth, Mi in 1918. He got his B.A. at Michigan State University in 1940, his M.A. at Duke University in 1941, and his D. Litt at St. Andrew’s University (in Scotland) in 1952. Kirk is the only American to earn the highest arts degree from St. Andrews. During the course of his life Kirk became the poster child for seizing rich and versatile experiences and became known as one of America’s leading thinkers. He published over thirty-two books, many short stories, and hundreds of periodical essays appearing in U.S., Britain, Canada, Australia, Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, and Poland periodicals. His book, The Conservative Mind, went through seven editions. In total his books have sold over a million copies and have been translated into German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Korean, and other languages. Kirk wrote and spoke on topics including modern culture, political thought and practice, educational theory, literary criticism, ethical questions, and social themes. He lectures on hundreds of American campuses, and some of his public lecture appeared on radio and were broadcast nationally on C-SPAN. In addition to lecturing, Kirk debated with well-known speakers like Norman Thomas, Hubert Humphrey, and Malcolm X. He also enjoyed a circle of literary and scholarly friends including T.S. Eliot and Ray Bradbury. Kirk’s life work won him many awards and much recognition, including being a Fulbright Lecturer in Scotland, receiving a Presidential Citizens Medal from President Reagan, the Christopher Award for his book Eliot and His Age, and twelve honorary doctorates from American universities and colleges. Kirk edited the educational quarterly journal The University Bookman, and was the founder and first editor of the quarterly Modern Age. For twenty-five years he wrote a page on education for National Review, and for thirteen years published (through the LA Times Syndicate) a nationally syndicated newspaper column. Kirk lived with his wife of almost thirty years, Annette Yvonne Cecile Courtemanche, and his four daughters Monica, Cecilia, Felicia, and Andrea at his ancestral place, Piety Hill, in Mecosta, MI. He converted a toy factory into his library and office, and was a famous narrator of ghostly tales, many of which he picked up during his travels (often on foot) in Scotland, Ireland, Mediterranean and Alpine lands, and Africa. The Kirk’s house was often packed with Asiatic, African, and European refugees and exiles, along with university students, travelers from antique lands. Kirk and Annette held many seminars at their residence in connection with the Intercollegiate Studies Institute and the Wilbur Foundation. Every year they received several literary interns. Kirk died in 1994 and his work is continued by the Russell Kirk Center.
Selected Works:
- Randolph of Roanoke : A Study in Conservative Thought (1951)
- The Conservative Mind: From Burke to Santayana (1953)
- Old House of Fear (1961)
- Lost Lake: Confessions of a Bohemian Tory (1963)
- Eliot and His Age: T.S. Eliot’s Moral Imagination in the Twentieth Century (1971)
- Lord of the Hollow Dark (1979)
- Edmund Burke: A Genius Reconsidered (1985)
Awards:
- 1950-1951 American Council of Learned Societies senior fellow
- 1956 Guggenheim fellow
- 1966 Ann Radcliffe Award for Gothic fiction
- 1972 Christopher Award
- 1977 World Fantasy Award for short fiction
- 1984 Weaver Award of Ingersoll Prizes for scholarly humane letters
- 1985 Freedom Leadership Award, Hillsdale College
- 1985 Constitutional fellowship, National Endowment for the Humanities
- 1988 Literary Michigan by the Michigan Council for the Humanities
- 1989 Presidential Citizens Medal, conferred by President Reagan
- n/a Honorary degrees from Boston College, Central Michigan University, Olivet College
- n/a For several years a Distinguished Scholar of the Heritage Foundation
Critical Reception:
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“As the prophet of American conservatism, Russell Kirk has taught, nurtured, and inspired a generation. From . . . Piety Hill, he reached deep into the roots of American values, writing and editing central works of political philosophy. His intellectual contribution has been a profound act of patriotism. I look forward to the future with anticipation that his work will continue to exert a profound influence in the defense of our values and our cherished civilization.”
—Ronald Reagan
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“[The Conservative Mind] gave American conservatives and identity and a genealogy and catalyzed the postwar movement.”
- The New York Times
Relevance of Place to Author’s Work:
For the majority of his life, Kirk’s home was in Mecosta, MI where a number of people from all over the world, including refugees and scholars, lived with him and his family. Kirk worked in his library and office in a nearby converted toy factory. Kirk and his wife held many seminars at their home, and were joined each year by several literary interns.