Kenneth Muir; Authority on Shakespeare

Kenneth Muir, 89, an author and authority on the works of William Shakespeare. A professor of English literature at Liverpool University, Muir was a member of the British Academy, which was founded to promote the study of history, philosophy and literature. He wrote important books on Shakespeare, “The Voyage to Illyria” in 1937 and “Shakespeare’s Sources” in 1957. But he was best known for his learned commentaries and textual notes on editions of “King Lear” and “Macbeth,” published in the early 1950s. Muir chaired the International Shakespeare Assn. from 1974 to 1985. A socialist, he also served as a local elected councilman. Muir was born in London and earned his degrees at Oxford. On Sept. 30 in Birkenhead, England.