Eugene Lunn Memorial Lecture Series

This annual lectureship honors cultural historian Eugene Lunn, who during 20 years as a member of the faculty in the UC Davis Department of History distinguished himself as an esteemed teacher and mentor, and an influential scholar in the field of modern European intellectual history.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1941, Eugene Lunn was the author of two landmark books: Prophet of Community: The Romantic Socialism of Gustav Landauer (University of California Press, 1975) and Marxism and Modernism: An Historical Study of Lukacs, Brecht, Benjamin and Adorno(University of California Press, 1982).

Professor Lunn, who joined the UC Davis faculty in 1970, was particularly gifted in helping students understand the nuances of socio-political undercurrents, and guided them in developing their analytical skills. Eugene Lunn received the Magnar Ronning award for teaching excellence in 1989. He died of cancer the following year at age 48.

2021-2022: Maya Phillips

Storytelling in the Multiverse of Madness

Maya Phillips,
Author of the forthcoming book, NERD: Adventures in Fandom from this Universe to the Multiverse (Atria Books), is a critic for the New York Times and recipient of the 2020-21 George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism