Ackroyd, Peter

Ackroyd, Peter

▪ British author, biographer, critic and scholar
born Oct. 5, 1949, London, Eng.

      British novelist, critic, biographer, and scholar whose technically innovative novels present an unconventional view of history.

      Ackroyd graduated from the University of Cambridge (M.A., 1971) and then attended Yale University for two years. In 1973 he returned to England and worked as an editor for The Spectator. In 1986 he became the principal book reviewer for the Times (Times, The) of London.

      Ackroyd published several books, including two collections of absurdist poetry, a study of transvestism, and a biography, Ezra Pound and His World (1980; revised as Ezra Pound, 1987), before turning to fiction. His first novel, The Great Fire of London (1982), was followed by The Last Testament of Oscar Wilde (1983), Hawksmoor (1985; winner of the Prix Goncourt and the Whitbread Book of the Year Award), Chatterton (1987), First Light (1989), English Music (1992), The House of Doctor Dee (1993), and The Trial of Elizabeth Cree: A Novel of the Limehouse Murders (1995). Ackroyd's later biographies include T.S. Eliot: A Life (1984), Dickens (1990), Blake (1995), and The Life of Thomas More (1998).

      In his book Notes for a New Culture: An Essay on Modernism (1976), Ackroyd attacked contemporary English literature and the literary establishment and dismissed conventional realistic fiction as no longer useful. His own novels reflect this position, integrating historical and modern settings to deliberately disrupt the conventions of historical fiction.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Ackroyd, Peter — (1949 )    Born in London, he was educated at St. Benedict s School, Ealing, and graduated M.A. from Clare College, Cambridge (1971), and was a Mellon Fellow at Yale University (1971 1973). He worked at The Spectator magazine between 1973 and… …   British and Irish poets

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  • Peter Ackroyd — Infobox Writer imagesize = 150px name = Peter Ackroyd caption = pseudonym = birthdate = birth date and age|1949|10|5|df=y birthplace = East Acton, London, England deathdate = deathplace = occupation = Author nationality = British period = genre …   Wikipedia

  • Peter Ackroyd — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Peter Ackroyd Nombre Peter Ackroyd Nacimiento 5 de octubre de 1949 East Acton (Londres) Ocupación Escritor …   Wikipedia Español

  • Peter Ackroyd — (* 5. Oktober 1949 in London) ist ein britischer Schriftsteller, der bekannt ist für seine Romane und Biografien. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben 2 Werk 2.1 Romane 2 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Peter Ackroyd — Peter Ackroyd, né à Londres le 5 octobre 1949, est un écrivain, romancier, essayiste et critique littéraire britannique. Lauréat de la Royal Society of Literature en 1984, il est l auteur de plusieurs best sellers, parmi lesquels son… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Ackroyd — is a surname. People * Alfred Ackroyd, English cricketer * Harold Ackroyd, Victoria Cross recipient * Peter Ackroyd, English author Other * The Murder of Roger Ackroyd , a novel by Agatha Christie * The Mrs Ackroyd Band, a band in Manchester,… …   Wikipedia

  • Ackroyd — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Barry Ackroyd (* 1954), britischer Kameramann David Ackroyd (* 1940), US amerikanischer Schauspieler Peter Ackroyd (* 1949), britischer Schriftsteller Diese Seite ist eine Begriffs …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Ackroyd —   [ ækrɔɪd], Peter, englischer Schriftsteller, * London 5. 10. 1949; verfasste kritische und kulturgeschichtliche Studien sowie Gedichte (»London Lickpenny«, 1973; »Country life«, 1978); als Biograph trat er hervor mit »Ezra Pound and his world«… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • The Murder of Roger Ackroyd —   …   Wikipedia

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