Robin Mookerjee, a long-beloved assistant writing professor, passed away Tuesday night, said Lang Dean Stephanie Browner in an email to The New School community.
“The loss of Professor Mookerjee will be deeply felt by his students and colleagues in the Literary Studies department, and across the university.” Browner said in the email.
It wasn’t immediately clear how he died. He was 54.
Mookerjee was a dedicated advisor and an accomplished writer. He taught a number of classes during his 17 years at The New School—from Emily Dickinson’s poetry to American intellectual history, and a number of writing courses on poetry and fiction.
Before teaching at Lang, Mookerjee taught Literature and Composition at Parsons. Later, he founded and directed the Lang first year writing program in 2002.
Mookerjee graduated from Bard College with a B.A. in English, and received a doctorate in English literature from NYU. He is the author of “Identity and Society in American Poetry” and “Transgressive Fiction: The New Satiric Tradition.”
The Lang third-floor lounge is being used as a space for all students and faculty to gather for mourning. In addition, there will be a gathering Thursday from 1 to 2 p.m. to remember and celebrate Mookerjee’s life.
Additional information about the family’s wishes and an event in the fall to honor Mookerjee life will follow, according to the email from The New School.
Top photo via Facebook.