Firkins, Oscar W., 1864-1932

Oscar Wilde Firkins was a literary critic and professor of comparative literature at the University of Minnesota. Francis Brown Barton was a professor in the French Dept. at the University.

Oscar Wilde Firkins was a literary critic and professor of comparative literature at the University of Minnesota.

Oscar W. Firkins was professor of comparative literature at the University of Minnesota (1918-1932) and a widely-known literary critic.

Oscar W. Firkins was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1864. He attended the University of Minnesota, earning his B.A. in 1884 and M.A. in 1898. He joined the faculty of the University in 1891 as assistant in rhetoric and became professor of comparative literature in 1918.

Professor Firkins was a world renowned literary critic. He was a reviewer of poetry for the Nation, dramatic critic for the Weekly Review and a contributor to Atlantic Monthly, Saturday Review of Literature, Yale Review, and the North American Review . Professor Firkins was also a prolific writer of memoirs, criticisms, plays and poetry.

A purist in regard to literature, Professor Firkins would only read a text as it was originally written. If he wanted to read an author who's original work was not in English, he would learn the necessary language. Because of this, Professor Firkins could read over a dozen languages and speak seven. He remained as the only professor in the comparative literature department from 1918 until his death on March 7, 1932, four months before his planned retirement from the University.