Marcel Cornis-Pop

My condolences to the family of Dr. Cornis-Pop. He was my advisor at VCU and one of my favorite professors. I learned so much from him and he was a supportive mentor.

My deepest sympathies to Marcel's close friends and family -- he was a generous and thoughtful colleague at VCU that I remember fondly from my job interview forward.

We are saddened by the passing of our beloved brother-in-law after a long illness. He was an author, literary critic and professor with an illustrious academic career. But for us he was simply Marcel, the generous man that accommodated us in his house for weeks, always happy to spend time together. He was truly special and will never be forgotten. We will cherish those memories and keep his spirit alive in our hearts. May he rest in peace.

Grief can be so hard, but our special memories help us cope. Remembering you and your loved one today and always.

I saw that Thomas Pynchon just released a new novel and naturally I thought of my former mentor Dr. Cornis-Pope. I was going to reach out to him after many years and have stumbled up this obituary. I am greatly saddened to hear of his passing. He gave his time so willingly to help others think critically ....and be better people. I cannot think of someone who had a greater influence on improving my intellect than Marcel. I am sure many others could say the same.

Marcel was one of the great world scholars at VCU, It was always a pleasure to speak with him, as his scholarship and his good humor played together in a wonderful way.

He was one of my professors at VCU during my MFA in Creative Writing Poetry from 1988-1991. He talked to me about literary translation and without his guidance I would not have become a translator (from Serbianninto English and vice vrrsa). I've published 9 books of translations. Thank you. May he rest in peace. My condolences to his family. He will be remembered by many. He was a great person.

Marcel was a mentor and a true gentleman. He really deserves our praises because he was not only a hard-working and unpretentious scholar, but also a truly generous soul. I do not use these words lightheartedly. I usually stay far from the rhetoric of eulogies, but I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Marcel for his welcoming and almost paternal attitude when I was hired at VCU. The world is of full of smart intellectuals but it is less common to find one with the caliber of humanity and...