Second on Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis. In my opinion, if you took all the funny works in the world—all the books, TV shows, movies, standup acts, songs, plays, jokes, whatever–Lucky Jim would win as the most funny thing anyone has ever done. I’ts also a dead-on portrayal of the life of an untenured academic at a second rate British school. It’s a bit dated (1956) and very British, but I think you’ll relate to some of the characters.
For a slightly more dated look at english academe, try Doctor Mirabilis by James Blish.
J. I. M. Stewart wrote a series of five novels called A Staircase in Surrey, set in fictional Surrey College, Oxford (based on Christ Church, where Stewart was himself a Fellow). In the first novel, the protagonist - a playwright - returns for a Gaudy (alumni reunion, as mentioned above re Sayers’ Gaudy Night), but then finds himself drawn back into college life, and over the course of the five novels returns to the College as a lecturer and finds himself involved in the kind of intrigue that the OP is asking for.
The series is perhaps a little specific in location (Oxbridge) and time (post-WW2), but includes several thinly-disguised real-life academics (J. R. R. Tolkien, whom Stewart knew well IRL, is clearly identifiable although not by his real name).
Fortunately, the first book in the series, The Gaudy, is probably the best-written, so a reader can find out early on whether or not it’s his/her cup of tea. At any rate, there’s no question that the portrayals of academia are accurate (for the time and place). Stewart paid his dues with decades of lectures, faculty meetings, and dinners at High Table.
[While writing J. I. M. Stewart’s name, I was reminded of Doper jjiimm, who it seems is now himself living in the “City of dreaming spires”.]
Philip Roth’s The Human Stain has a good bit of intrigue, back-biting, and sexual liaisons taking place in a small New England liberal arts college and the surrounding communities.
Flattered, I’m sure. Yes indeed, they are both dreaming and dreamy. I’m constantly amazed at this city, and so glad I moved here: in places it’s almost as lovely as Italy. Alas, the only good view of them most people get is from the freeway, but luckily when I’m driving home from my new job (idiotically, I commute out of the city), I catch that calming and beautiful sight every evening.
The DaVinci Code. The hero is a symbologist - sounds like an academic to me :dubious:
If you want to include Dan Brown here, Angels and Demons is a better book with the same protagonist (although he certainly doesn’t spend a lot of time on campus).
I’ve not read this book yet, but Intuition: A Novel by Allegra Goodman is supposed to be an excellent portrait of life inside a major research lab.