My mother, Norma Rinsler, who has died aged 95, was a lecturer in French who rose to become a professor and dean of the faculty of arts at King’s College London, where one of her major achievements was to secure the archives of the Adam International Review literary magazine, which include original pieces of artwork and manuscripts by a number of key 20th-century artists.
Norma was born in London to Julian Lee, a carpenter, and Frances (nee Izbitsky), a seamstress. She did well at North London Collegiate school despite her education being disrupted by the second world war, and went on to study at Newnham College, Cambridge. In her first week there she met Michael Rinsler, my father, and gave up her studies to move to London to be with him, marrying in 1948. She completed her degree in French literature in 1951 and later a PhD in 1961, both at University College London.
At a time when it was unusual to do so, Norma balanced the task of looking after a young family with university teaching. She started out in 1962 as an assistant lecturer in French at King’s College, moving up to become a lecturer there in 1965.
In those days even clearly brilliant academic women were rarely promoted, and it took several years to gain tenure. However, a new head of department brought about a rapid rise to become a reader in 1976 and a professor of French in 1983. In 1987 she was appointed as vice-principal of King’s, and in 1988 she became dean of the faculty of arts, holding that post until her official retirement in 1992.
She was also a member of the Universities Funding Council from 1991 to 1993. In retirement she was a subeditor for Modern Poetry in Translation magazine and also worked on translating the notebooks of the French poet Paul Valéry, published as Paul Valéry: Cahiers/Notebooks in 2010.
In 1989 the French government had named her Officier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques for her contribution to the promotion of French culture.
Norma was a generous, persistent and skilled teacher. When my father had a stroke at 70 she spent hours with him, day after day, teaching and encouraging him until he could speak and walk again. Their retirement was often spent taking holidays in their caravan, at first on the road and later at a site near Banbury in Oxfordshire. They were avid theatre and concert-goers.
After Michael’s death in 2019, Norma remained strong and incisive, completing the Times crossword daily, and was sharp-minded until her final day.
She is survived by her three children, Stephen, Susan and me, four grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
