Tell us about your research interests
I’m interested in the English Language, its history and uses and the ways in which it changes over time.
Which book has had the biggest impact on you?
Reading Sir Gawain and the Green Knight as a teenager had a big impact on me – the strange spellings and foreign words alongside the recognisably English ones with puzzling meanings. Why was Sir Gawain doing battle with a worm, for instance?
What do you do in your spare time?
I’m an avid player of all racket sports, especially squash and real tennis (the one with the lopsided wooden rackets).
Describe your ideal day.
It begins with The Times crossword, involves spending time in an archive and with my family (not at the same time) and ends with a good book.
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be?
I love the Welsh countryside, but it’s too far from the Bodleian Library to live there.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A librarian – it was before I realised they don’t just sit around reading the books.
Who had the greatest influence on you during your childhood?
My parents.
Who were your childhood heroes?
Sir James Murray – an autodidact who became the first editor of the Oxford English Dictionary.
What teacher had the greatest impact on you?
An English teacher who explained the Great Vowel Shift to me – I was captivated!
Do you have pets?
No, I like animals but not in my house.
Were you popular as a teenager?
You’d have to ask my classmates.
What is your favourite music?
Lots of different kinds. I will never tire of listening to The Beatles.
If you could have dinner with five famous people from history, who would they be?
The Inklings – including the honorary inkling Dorothy L. Sayers.
Describe yourself in five words.
I’ll go with Dr Johnson’s definition of “philologer”: ‘one who studies word origins’.
How would your friends describe you?
Punctual.
What do you like most about your job?
Working with brilliant colleagues and students.
Why are we here?
To learn how to read and write better.
If you weren’t a member of the English Faculty, what would you be?
Probably working on the Oxford English Dictionary.
Simon Horobin is Professor of English Language and Literature and Fellow and Tutor in English at Magdalen College. He has written extensively on medieval linguistic and literary topics; recent books include Bagels, Bumf, and Buses: A Day in the Life of the English Language (OUP, 2019), The English Language: A Very Short Introduction (OUP, 2018), How English Became English (OUP, 2016), and Does Spelling Matter? (OUP, 2013). He is also the editor of Osbern Bokenham’s Lives of the Saints (3 vols) and has revised his book Chaucer’s Language for a third edition (Bloomsbury 2025). Most recently, he curated the exhibition C.S. Lewis: Words and Worlds (Magdalen College, 2024) and wrote C.S. Lewis’s Oxford (Bodleian, 2024).
