Miranda Carter (born 1965) is an English historian, writer and biographer who also publishes fiction under the name MJ Carter.Jake Kerridge

''The Telegraph'', 23 April 2015.

Education

Carter was educated at

St Paul's Girls School St Paul's Girls' School is an independent day school for girls, aged 11 to 18, located in Brook Green, Hammersmith, in West London, England. History St Paul's Girls' School was founded by the Worshipful Company of Mercers in 1904, using part o ...

and

Exeter College, Oxford Exeter College (in full: The Rector and Scholars of Exeter College in the University of Oxford) is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth-oldest college of the un ...

Career

Carter's first book was a biography of the art historian and

spy Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...

Anthony Blunt Anthony Frederick Blunt (26 September 1907 – 26 March 1983), styled Sir Anthony Blunt KCVO from 1956 to November 1979, was a leading British art historian and Soviet spy. Blunt was professor of art history at the University of London, dire ...

, entitled ''Anthony Blunt: His Lives''. It won the

Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820, by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, th ...

Award and the

Orwell Prize The Orwell Prize, based at University College London, is a British prize for political writing. The Prize is awarded by The Orwell Foundation, an independent charity (Registered Charity No 1161563, formerly "The Orwell Prize") governed by a boa ...

and was short-listed for the

CWA Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction The CWA Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction is a British literary award established in 1978 by the Crime Writers' Association, who have awarded the Gold Dagger fiction award since 1955. In 1978 and 1979 only there was also a silver award. From 1995 to 200 ...

, the

Guardian First Book Award The Guardian First Book Award was a literary award presented by ''The Guardian'' newspaper. It annually recognised one book by a new writer. It was established in 1999, replacing the Guardian Fiction Award or Guardian Fiction Prize that the newspap ...

, the Whitbread Prize for Best Biography, and the

James Tait Black Memorial Prize The James Tait Black Memorial Prizes are literary prizes awarded for literature written in the English language. They, along with the Hawthornden Prize, are Britain's oldest literary awards. Based at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, Unit ...

. In the US it was chosen by the ''New York Times Book Review'' as one of the seven best books of 2002. Her second historical undertaking was ''The Three Emperors'', which was a group biography of

Kaiser Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and List of monarchs of Prussia, King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication on 9 ...

Tsar Nicholas II Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Polan ...

and

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...

, all world leaders during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Carter also has written several novels, notably ''The Strangler Vine'' and its sequel ''The Infidel Stain'', which was later republished as ''The Printer's Coffin''. Her third mystery is entitled ''The Devil's Feast''. All three are Victorian detective and mystery stories.

Personal life

Carter is married to

John Lanchester John Henry Lanchester (born 25 February 1962) is a British journalist and novelist. He was born in Hamburg, brought up in Hong Kong and educated in England; between 1972 and 1980 at Gresham's School in Holt, Norfolk, then at St John's College, O ...

, with whom she has two children, and lives in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Accolades

*2010 Los Angeles Times Book Prize (Biography), ''The Three Emperors: Three Cousins, Three Empires and the Road to World War One'', shortlist *2002 Whitbread Biography Award, ''Anthony Blunt: His Lives'', shortlist *2002 The Royal Society of Literature Award, ''Anthony Blunt: His Lives'' *2002

, ''Anthony Blunt: His Lives'' *2002 James Tait Black Memorial Prize (for biography), ''Anthony Blunt: His Lives'', shortlist *2002 Duff Cooper Prize, ''Anthony Blunt: His Lives'', shortlist *2002 Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger for Non-Fiction, ''Anthony Blunt: His Lives'', shortlist *2001 Guardian First Book Award, ''Anthony Blunt: His Lives'', shortlist

Bibliography

*''Anthony Blunt: His Lives''. London, Macmillan. 2001. *''The Three Emperors: Three cousins, Three Empires and the Road to World War One''. London, Penguin. 2009.

Avery & Blake Series

*''The Strangler Vine''. London, Fig Tree. 2014. *''The Infidel Stain'' r''The Printer's Coffin''. London, Fig Tree. 2015. *''The Devil's Feast''. London, Fig Tree. 2016.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Miranda 1965 births Living people Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford English biographers English non-fiction writers Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature People educated at St Paul's Girls' School Writers from London Women biographers English women non-fiction writers 21st-century English women writers 21st-century biographers James Tait Black Memorial Prize recipients