Peter J. Conradi (born 8 May 1945) is a British author and academic, best known for his studies of writer and philosopher,
Iris Murdoch
Dame Jean Iris Murdoch ( ; 15 July 1919 – 8 February 1999) was an Irish and British novelist and philosopher. Murdoch is best known for her novels about good and evil, sexual relationships, morality, and the power of the unconscious. Her ...
, who was a close friend. He is a Professor Emeritus of English at the
University of Kingston
Kingston University London is a Public university, public research university located within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, in South London, South West London, England. Its roots go back to the Kingston Technical Institute, founded in 1 ...
and has been visiting fellow at
Magdalen College, Oxford, and research fellow at
University College London
, mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £143 million (2020)
, budget = ...
.
Education
Conradi was educated at
Oundle School
Oundle School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) for pupils 11–18 situated in the market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire, England. The school has been governed by the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City ...
, before going on to study English literature at the
University of East Anglia
The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...
(BA, 1967), the
University of Sussex
, mottoeng = Be Still and Know
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £14.4 million (2020)
, budget = £319.6 million (2019–20)
, chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar
, vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil
, ...
(MA, 1969) and
University College London
, mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £143 million (2020)
, budget = ...
(PhD, 1983).
Career
Conradi has taught at
South Bank Polytechnic
London South Bank University (LSBU) is a public university in Elephant and Castle, London. It is based in the London Borough of Southwark, near the South Bank of the River Thames, from which it takes its name. Founded in 1892 as the Borough Po ...
,
University of Colorado, Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado sys ...
(Exchange Professor),
University of East Anglia
The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...
,
Kingston University
, mottoeng = "Through Learning We Progress"
, established = – gained University Status – Kingston Technical Institute
, type = Public
, endowment = £2.3 m (2015)
, ...
and the
Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland (British Council Professor). In 1997 Conradi left Kingston University, where he is now
Emeritus Professor
''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
, to write freelance; and in 2010 was elected a Fellow of the
Royal Society of Literature.
Conradi has written a number of books, including studies of
John Fowles
John Robert Fowles (; 31 March 1926 – 5 November 2005) was an English novelist of international renown, critically positioned between modernism and postmodernism. His work was influenced by Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus, among others.
Aft ...
,
Fyodor Dostoevsky and
Angus Wilson
Sir Angus Frank Johnstone-Wilson, CBE (11 August 191331 May 1991) was an English novelist and short story writer. He was one of England's first openly gay authors. He was awarded the 1958 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for '' The Middle Age of ...
, but he is best known for his work on the life and work of
Iris Murdoch
Dame Jean Iris Murdoch ( ; 15 July 1919 – 8 February 1999) was an Irish and British novelist and philosopher. Murdoch is best known for her novels about good and evil, sexual relationships, morality, and the power of the unconscious. Her ...
. His authorised biography of Murdoch was widely chosen as a book of the year on its publication in 2001.
Personal life
Conradi lives in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...
and
Radnorshire with his civil partner Jim O’Neill. He is a practising
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
. He is a trustee of the
Bleddfa Centre for the Creative Spirit and has been co-editor (2007–2018) of the
''Transactions'' of the Radnorshire Society.
Writings
*''
John Fowles
John Robert Fowles (; 31 March 1926 – 5 November 2005) was an English novelist of international renown, critically positioned between modernism and postmodernism. His work was influenced by Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus, among others.
Aft ...
'' (1982) ()
*''Iris Murdoch. The Saint and the Artist'' (1986, 3rd edition 2001) ()
*''
Fyodor Dostoevsky'' (1987) ()
*''
Angus Wilson
Sir Angus Frank Johnstone-Wilson, CBE (11 August 191331 May 1991) was an English novelist and short story writer. He was one of England's first openly gay authors. He was awarded the 1958 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for '' The Middle Age of ...
'' (1997)
Isobel Armstrong and Bryan Loughrey (editors) ()
*''Cold War, Common Pursuit: British Council Lecturers in Poland 1938-98'' (1999) with Stoddard Martin (editor)
*''Existentialists and Mystics: Writings on Philosophy and Literature by Iris Murdoch'' (1999) (editor)
*''Iris Murdoch: A Life'' (2001) and later revisions ()
*''Going Buddhist: Panic and Emptiness, the Buddha and Me'' (2005) ()
*''At the Bright Hem of God'' (2009) ()
*''Iris Murdoch: A writer at war : letters & diaries, 1939-45'' (editor) (2010) ()
*''A Very English Hero: The Making of
Frank Thompson'' (2012) ()
External links
Peter J. Conradi's official website
References
1945 births
Living people
Alumni of the University of East Anglia
Alumni of the University of Sussex
Alumni of University College London
Academics of Kingston University
English biographers
English male journalists
English non-fiction writers
Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature
English male non-fiction writers
English Buddhists
Fellows of Magdalen College, Oxford
Male biographers
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