Ernest Becker at Simon Fraser University (1969-1974)

Abstract

The cultural anthropologist and humanist Ernest Becker spent the final four and a half years of his life at Simon Fraser University (SFU) in British Columbia, Canada. During these years, Becker’s thought and work underwent a profound transformation that resulted in the publication of the Pulitzer Prize–winning book, The Denial of Death, and a highly praised companion book, published posthumously, Escape From Evil. However, surprisingly little has been known about Becker’s final years at SFU. In this biographical essay, based on Becker’s papers and letters, university records and documents, and interviews with several of those who knew him best during this period of his life, Becker’s years at SFU are revealed as a professional, existential struggle, one that was both heroic and tragic—a struggle in which his work merged with his life as both drew to an end.