In a long and immensely distinguished academic career, Professor Tatar has written books about the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, and childhood reading.
Her works include:
Spellbound: Studies on Mesmerism and Literature - published in 1978.
The Hard Facts of the Grimm’s Fairy Tales - published in 1987.
Off With Their Heads! Fairy Tales and the Culture of Childhood - published in 1993.
The Annotated African American Folktales.
And The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales - published in 2002, in which Maria explores how profoundly fairy tales have influenced our culture.
Professor Tatar has been the recipient of fellowships from numerous distinguished institutions, including the Guggenheim Foundation, the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
She served as Dean for the Humanities at Harvard University from 2003-2006. She had originally joined Harvard after gaining her Doctorate in 1971 and was the first woman to earn tenure by rising through the ranks.
Professor Martin said: “Our University enjoys close ties with Maria. At our 2016 Nutcracker event celebrating the 200th anniversary of E.T.A. Hoffman’s much-loved work, she came to Cambridge to deliver an inspiring keynote contribution. And despite her busy schedule, she took the time to meet and give personal encouragement to a number of our post-graduate students.
“Maria's continued engagement with Anglia Ruskin supports our growing reputation as a centre of world-leading research in all aspects of the art, literature and culture of childhood, and for the study of folklore, fairy tales and fantasy.”