Robin Lane Fox

Early life

Lane Fox was educated at Eton College, an all-boys public school near Windsor, Berkshire. He studied Literae Humaniores (Classics) at Magdalen College, Oxford. Like his fellow ancient historians Paul Cartledge and Alan Cameron, and philosophers Terence Irwin and John McDowell, he was an undergraduate student of G. E. M. de Ste. Croix.

Academic career

Lane Fox was a fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, between 1970 and 1973. Between 1974 and 1976, he was a lecturer at Worcester College, Oxford. From 1976 to 1977, he was a research fellow in classical and Islamic history at Worcester. In 1977, he was elected a fellow of New College, Oxford, in succession to G. E. M. de Ste. Croix. In 1990, he was appointed Reader in Ancient History within the Faculty of Classics. In 2012, he retired and was appointed an Emeritus Fellow of New College. Important influences on his contributions to the study of ancient history include Louis Robert, Peter Brown, E. R. Dodds, Timothy Barnes, E. J. Bickerman, Martin Litchfield West, Walter Burkert, and his long-standing New College colleague W. G. (George) Forrest.

His 1973 book Alexander the Great was awarded the Duff Cooper Prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. Due to the success of the book, Lane Fox was historical advisor to the film director Oliver Stone for the epic Alexander. His appearance as an extra in cavalry manoeuvres, in addition to his work as a historical consultant, was publicised at the time of the film's release. He wrote and presented Greek Myths: Tales of Travelling Heroes, which was first broadcast on BBC Four in November 2010.

While primarily focused on ancient Greece, Fox has written three books dealing with the history of Christianity, Pagans and Christians, The Unauthorized Version: Truth and Fiction in the Bible, and a biography of Saint Augustine, Augustine: Conversions and Confessions, which was awarded the Wolfson History Prize. In the second book, Fox professes himself to be a non-believer, although in the last book he expresses much admiration for St. Augustine.

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1974.

Personal life

Lane Fox, an atheist, is the father of Martha Lane Fox and Henry Lane Fox. Martha is an entrepreneur and crossbench life peer who co-founded Lastminute.com. Henry is CEO of a website, The Browser.{{cite web

As gardening correspondent of the Financial Times, Lane Fox was involved in a controversy around the banning of garden gnomes and other items of kitsch from the Chelsea Garden Show;{{cite web

List of publications

• Alexander the Great, Allen Lane, 1973. ; US title: The Search for Alexander, Little, Brown & Co., 1980. (reprinted by the Folio Society with revisions & corrections, 1997)
• Variations on a Garden, Macmillan, 1974. (reprinted by R. & L., 1986)
• Better Gardening, R. & L., 1982.
• V. Sackville-West. The Illustrated Garden Book: A New Anthology, Michael Joseph, 1986.
• Pagans and Christians, Viking, 1986. (reprinted by the Folio Society in 3 vols., 2010)
• The Unauthorized Version: Truth and Fiction in the Bible, Viking, 1991.
• The Long March: Xenophon and the Ten Thousand, Yale University Press, 2004. (editor)
• The Classical World: An Epic History from Homer to Hadrian, Allen Lane, 2005. (reprinted by the Folio Society)
• Travelling Heroes: Greeks and Their Myths in the Epic Age of Homer, Allen Lane, 2008.
• Thoughtful Gardening: Great Plants, Great Gardens, Great Gardeners, Particular Books, 2010.
• Brill's Companion to Ancient Macedon: Studies in the Archaeology and History of Macedon, 650 BC-300 AD, Brill, 2011. (editor)
• Augustine: Conversions and Confessions, Allen Lane, 2015.
• The Invention of Medicine: From Homer to Hippocrates, Basic Books, 2020.
• Homer and his Iliad, Allen Lane, 2023.

References

References

1. "Robin Lane Fox profile at ''Debrett's People of Today''".
2. (31 October 2008). "Travelling Heroes, By Robin Lane Fox".
3. "Lane Fox {{!}} New College Oxford".
4. "Classics – Exeter College".
5. "Lane Fox profile at the Tait Black website".
6. Press, Orphans. "Past Winners of The Duff Cooper Prize – The Duff Cooper Prize".
7. "Lane Fox profile". [[Folio Society]].
8. "Profile of Lane Fox at the Runciman Award winners webpage of the Anglo-Hellenic League".
9. Ste Croix, ''The Origins of the Peloponnesian War'', xii
10. "Mr Robin J. Lane Fox". University of Oxford.
11. "Emeritus, Honorary and Wykeham Fellows". University of Oxford.
12. ''Pagans and Christians'', p. 10
13. ''Pagans and Christians'', p. 8
14. ''The Unauthorized Version'', p. 9
15. ''Travelling Heroes'', xiii
16. ''Travelling Heroes'', p. xiv
17. [https://archive.today/20051226160004/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7434-1101601,00.html "Into Battle With Alexander"], ''[[The Times]]'', 4 May 2004.
18. [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/8975721/Why-the-lowly-shepherd-is-the-one-who-gets-to-hear-the-angels.html "Why the lowly shepherd is the one who gets to hear the angels", 20 December 2011]'
19. "Profile".
20. "BBC Four – Greek Myths: Tales of Travelling Heroes".
21. Briefly reviewed in the [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/02/22 February 22, 2016 issue] of ''[[The New Yorker]]'', p.77.
22. (2023-09-01). "Lane Fox, Robin".
23. ''The Unauthorized Version: Truth and Fiction in the Bible'' (1991) p.7; {{ISBN. 978-0-14-102296-3