Donald Trefusis
Encyclopedia
Professor Donald Cornwallis Treadway Trefusis (1921 - 2008) is an eccentric fictional character
created by Stephen Fry
.
He initially appeared as an occasional contributor of "wireless essays" to Ned Sherrin
's BBC Radio 4
programme Loose Ends
in 1986. Trefusis was portrayed as a senior tutor
at the fictional St Matthew's College and professor of philology
at the University of Cambridge
. He is an important character in the novel The Liar. Transcripts of the Loose Ends broadcasts were published as essays in Paperweight
.
In addition to a propensity for taking very liberal positions on a range of social issues, as when he states his credentials as "a lover of truth, a worshipper of freedom, a celebrant at the altar of language and purity and tolerance," the greetings and salutations to his broadcasts almost always consist of a non-sequitur (e.g. "Hugely so to you all [...] And if you have been, then it was").
In 2009 Trefusis returned from the grave in a new audio series The Dongle of Donald Trefusis
. He also manifested on http://twitter.com/donaldtrefusis
Twitter.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
created by Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
.
He initially appeared as an occasional contributor of "wireless essays" to Ned Sherrin
Ned Sherrin
Edward George "Ned" Sherrin CBE was an English broadcaster, author and stage director. He qualified as a barrister and then worked in independent television before joining the BBC...
's BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
programme Loose Ends
Loose Ends (radio)
Loose Ends is a British radio programme originally broadcast on Saturday mornings, and then transmitted early Saturday evenings from 1998 by BBC Radio 4. It was hosted by Ned Sherrin until he became ill in late 2006 with a reported throat infection, and later throat cancer...
in 1986. Trefusis was portrayed as a senior tutor
Tutor
A tutor is a person employed in the education of others, either individually or in groups. To tutor is to perform the functions of a tutor.-Teaching assistance:...
at the fictional St Matthew's College and professor of philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. He is an important character in the novel The Liar. Transcripts of the Loose Ends broadcasts were published as essays in Paperweight
Paperweight (book)
Paperweight is a collection of writings by Stephen Fry, first published in the United Kingdom in 1992.The book contains a wide selection of Fry's journalism, including comment pieces, reviews and criticism....
.
In addition to a propensity for taking very liberal positions on a range of social issues, as when he states his credentials as "a lover of truth, a worshipper of freedom, a celebrant at the altar of language and purity and tolerance," the greetings and salutations to his broadcasts almost always consist of a non-sequitur (e.g. "Hugely so to you all [...] And if you have been, then it was").
In 2009 Trefusis returned from the grave in a new audio series The Dongle of Donald Trefusis
The Dongle of Donald Trefusis
The Dongle of Donald Trefusis is "a mixture of podcast, audio book and radio monologue" written and read by Stephen Fry. It stars Fry as himself, who receives an inheritance from his former university tutor, Donald Trefusis, who has recently died. The inheritance includes a USB drive or "dongle",...
. He also manifested on http://twitter.com/donaldtrefusis
Twitter.