Kirk Combe

Kirk Combe writes fiction of social realism as well as speculative sci-fi. His nonfiction ranges from feisty critiques of current issues and popular culture to scholarly analyses of literature, history, and the workings of society. A particular focus of his is the genre of satire.

Combe is a professor emeritus of English and Cultural Studies at Denison University. He teaches and researches in the areas of early modern British satire and drama, literary and cultural theory, and popular culture. On these topics he’s published numerous academic books and articles. Combe has a B.A. from Davidson College (North Carolina) and an M.A. from the Bread Loaf School of English, Middlebury College (Vermont). He completed his doctoral study at Oxford University, England, where he received a D.Phil. in British Literature.

At Denison University, Combe received the Charles A. Brickman Teaching Excellence Award in 2011. He was also named to the Viola Kleindienst Endowed Professorship for 2017-2022.

Combe’s recent scholarship focuses on contemporary satire, speculative fiction, monstrosity, and various issues in popular culture. His latest book is Speculative Satire in Contemporary Literature and Film: Rant Against the Regime (Routledge, 2021). His forthcoming book, Better Living Through Cultural Theory: Applying Big Ideas to Everyday Life (Cambridge Scholars Publishing), is a college classroom reader designed for courses in social and literary theory.

Combe’s fiction focuses on the gaps between what people imagine their world to be compared to their real conditions of existence. He has published short stories, novels, and is a screenwriter and executive producer of two award-winning short films.

Combe’s first novel, 2084 (Mayhaven Publishing, 2009), is a work of near-future speculative fiction. His forthcoming novel, Western Living (Arco Desert Books), is a portrait of two families struggling to negotiate the stark culture of southeastern Idaho during the mid-20th century. Two chapters from that novel have been published as short stories. These are “Our Soldier of Fortune” (The Write Launch, Issue 27, July 2019) and “Ironrite” (Millwork, Issue 3, August 2018; reprinted in Defuncted on Medium, 25 March 2023).

Additionally, Combe is the author of two Substack newsletters. These are “Rant Against the Regime” (commentary on contemporary culture) and “2084 Quartet” (serialized novels of dystopian sci-fi).

Finally, Combe was born and raised in Pocatello, Idaho. Spent his teenage years in the New York City area. Went to college in North Carolina. After graduation high-tailed it over to Europe to play professional basketball in Switzerland and Germany for several years. Has taught at several universities in Europe and the United States. Has three brilliant children and four incredible grandkids. And currently lives in northern California with his wonderful wife and partner in thoughtcrime, Brenda Boyle, where they do as much hiking as humanly possible.