Basil Willey

Basil Willey (July 25, 1897 – September 3, 1978) was a professor of English literature at Cambridge and author of well-written and scholarly works on English literature and intellectual history.

He was born in London in 1897 and educated at Cambridge. He became a fellow of Pembroke College in 1935. He was appointed King Edward VII Professor of English Literature in 1946. He served as President of Pembroke College from 1958 to 1964. He retired from his position as King Edward VII Professor of English Literature in 1965.

He was a fellow of the British Academy and the Royal Society of Literature, and a member of the Athenaeum Club.

Published works