Simon John James
16.09.1971 - 11.06.2025
In early May, Simon was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer which produced very complicated symptoms, and sadly he died just one month and a day after diagnosis; the day after his 19th wedding anniversary. He passed away peacefully in North Durham Hospital having spent the day surrounded by his wife Kate and his family.
Simon was adamant that he wanted to keep the information on his illness to a very tight circle as he didn’t want a parade of sad faces through the hospital - the ‘pity train’ as he named it. To quote Simon, he wanted to be ‘the enigmatic academic who was taken suddenly by a rare and interesting disease’.
He kept his characteristic humour to the end, and the grace and bravery with which he accepted both diagnosis and his inevitable death was truly astounding.
Although Simon spent most of his final month in the hospital, he was able to return home briefly during his treatment. During this time, he indulged in some of his favourite activities: reading books, watching films, playing computer games, and giving attention to his beloved cats, Nancy and Boswell.
Kate and Simon's family want to thank the incredible NHS teams on ward 5 and on ITU for their kindness, and for looking after Simon so well in his final weeks.
Durham University Vice-Chancellor, Karen O'Brien
We knew Simon as a brilliant critic, an inspirational lecturer and teacher, and an illuminating supervisor, mentor, and friend. He was a leading authority on H. G. Wells, late-Victorian literature, and the modern novel.
In every way, he was utterly committed to what he did – to this discipline, his students and this department, which he served for 25 years, including as Head of English Studies, and to worlds beyond academic life, such as the Book Festival, Hullabaloo Theatre organisation, the Durham Commission on Creativity and Education, and Durham Student Theatre, of which he was Honorary President.
Running a book group for inmates at HMP Frankland led to Simon being given the Best Educational Effort award at the University Volunteering Awards last year. His intellectual presence and energy, his unfailing wisdom and cheer, were a constant gift to others.
On a personal note, having worked with Simon these past years, it would be hard to find anyone who better embodies everything that is good, committed and gracious about Durham University.
Theatre Hullabaloo
Simon was a professor in the Department of English Studies at Durham University where he made a significant contribution to the understanding of Victorian literature, particularly H. G. Wells, however Simon should also be remembered for his extraordinary contribution to – and passion for – children's rights to arts and creativity.
He took his role as Principal Investigator for the Durham Commission on Creativity in Education extremely seriously and worked tirelessly to create a compelling case for the central role of creativity in children and young people's lives.
It was as part of his role with the Durham Commission that he first came to The Hullabaloo shortly after we opened in 2017. He was very open about the fact that he wasn't well-versed in arts and creativity for the very youngest but had been told that he should come and visit us so we could tell him all about it!
Nearly three hours of conversation and several cups of coffee later, he jumped up and hurried home because he said he now realised that what we were discussing was 'the most important part of the Commission's work' and that he had to start work on making sure that was understood immediately. He jokingly called this his 'Road to Damascus' moment and promised that he would help to make the case for greater investment in the arts for early years.
He was true to his word. Early Years was significantly featured within the Durham Commission and Simon joined the board of Hullabaloo and became a strong and committed advocate for our work. A year or so later the Arts Council's strategy, Let's Create, specifically identified Early Years children and their families as a priority for the first time. Only a few months ago, Simon was again working tirelessly to complete the Child of the North report which he once more ensured included creativity for the very youngest.
After serving as Vice Chair for a number of years, Simon took on the role of Chair of Trustees at the AGM last December, a role he said was a 'huge honour'. His commitment to our organisation was remarkable, not just as an advocate and in a governance role, but he would frequently be seen sitting amongst an audience of very small children on a Saturday morning so that he could really understand and enjoy the impact of the work that we do.
Simon's legacy is extraordinary, but he clearly had so much more to give and we will all miss him terribly.
