Goldsmiths, University of London
21 February 2025
Organised by the Decadence Research Centre at Goldsmiths
Call for Papers
The Decadence Research Centre at Goldsmiths, University of London, is delighted to announce the second symposium on the fin-de-siècle writer Ernest Dowson.
In what will be 125 years since he died of tuberculosis in a friend’s house in Catford, owning nothing but his tattered poetry notebook, Dowson has becoming something of a decadent legend. Bohemian, itinerant, and plagued by longing and loss (not least of his own teeth), he had an affinity with the capital city’s impoverished and intellectual spaces, as well as international literary and artistic circles. His exquisite, refined verses and prose are among some of the most technically adept and captivating works in the decadent canon.
‘Blind Chivvy’, drawn by Edmund Trueman for Dowson Day 2016. © https://edmundtruemanportfolio.wordpress.com
This symposium invites creative and critical provocations that respond to Dowson’s work, life, and legacy. In particular, we are interested in submissions that address the following areas:
Dowson’s global and pan-historical impact
The label ‘decadent’ and its impact on our reading of his work
Twentieth and Twenty-first century responses to his work
Contemporary re-readings of his work
Creative works might address or rework Dowsonian themes, such as:
death, drugs, and dry-docking
moonbeams and maidens
hotels, harlots, and halitosis
the viol, the violet, and the vine
Critical responses should be ten-minute “lightening talks” or “PechaKucha” style presentations. We especially welcome ideas or works in progress that are at the cutting edge of contemporary decadence studies.
Creative responses should not exceed ten minutes in length but can take any form.
The symposium will end with a celebration of the revised edition of Jad Adams’s biography of Dowson. Madder Music, Stronger Wine, which is being republished to mark the 125th anniversary of Dowson’s death.
Please send a 150-word outline of your idea and brief bio to Dr Alice Condé and Dr Jessica Gossling (DRC@gold.ac.uk) by 31 December 2024.
Contact Us
Please email drc@gold.ac.uk with any queries about Ernest Dowson: Revived.
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Conference Organisers
Jad Adams, Alice Condé, and Jessica Gossling