The T. S. Eliot International Summer School brings together renowned scholars and students from around the world for a nine-day, immersive exploration of the life and work of Nobel Prize winning poet, critic, and dramatist T. S. Eliot. Read more about the program below. Full scholarships are available.
The T. S. Eliot International Summer School
Why Eliot Now
T. S. Eliot’s work is enjoying a global renaissance, with new editions of his poetry, prose, and letters appearing in recent years and new readers worldwide discovering the true scope of his achievement and influence. Since its inauguration in 2009, the Summer School has become the premiere venue for learning about new research on Eliot, welcoming participants to become active contributors to the resurgence of popular and scholarly interest in his work.
Who we are
Many participants of the summer school are teachers and students at the undergraduate and graduate levels, but the programme is not reserved for academics. We welcome members from all backgrounds and professions, and readers of all ages and from all walks of life.
What we do
The school’s daily schedule is rich with intellectual and social events. Participants attend two lectures each morning. Discussions continue over lunch, where students and faculty talk informally, exchanging ideas and developing projects. Each afternoon, students extend those conversations in small group seminars.
Weekend day trips
The programme is bookended by day trips to sites associated with Eliot’s Four Quartets. On the first weekend, participants join the T. S. Eliot Festival for a day of lectures and readings at Little Gidding, a village in Huntingdonshire. On the penultimate day, we visit the gardens at Burnt Norton—a stately manor house in the picturesque region of the Cotswolds—where we attend a lecture and listen to a recording of Eliot reading by the rose gardens and dry pools.
Readings
The School regularly invites contemporary writers to read their work and share insights with students about the place of Eliot in their writing lives. Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney gave the first lecture in 2009, and we’ve been joined since by eminent poets and novelists, including the winner of each year’s T. S. Eliot Prize. The School showcases Eliot’s enduring influence on contemporary generations, and it shares with the Eliot Foundation an ongoing commitment to contemporary literature.
Tuition & Scholarships
Tuition for the week is £700, which includes all instruction, lunches, a gala dinner, special events, and day trips. We offer a limited number tuition scholarships to help those who could not otherwise afford to attend. Scholarships are competitive and awarded on a rolling basis once registration opens. They cover the cost of tuition only. Participants arrange their own travel and may book accommodations through Merton or use another resource.
Register for the 2024 school and apply for a scholarship now!
Resources
The Summer School is supported by the T. S. Eliot Foundation.
Click here to explore Eliot’s life and works and to learn more about the Foundation at tseliot.com