Peter Parker (born 2 June 1954) is a British biographer, historian, journalist and editor. He was elected a Fellow of 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 ...

in 1997.

Life and career

Education

Parker was born to Edward Parker and Patricia Sturridge on 2 June 1954 in

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...

in the

West Midlands West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

of England. He attended the Downs Malvern in Colwall and

Canford School Canford School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils aged 13–18). Situated in 300 acres of parkland near to the market town of Wimborne Minster in Dorset, south west England, it is one of the largest sch ...

in Dorset, and read

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

. He began a career in literary journalism while working in the Design Centre's bookshop in the 1980s, contributing regular book reviews to ''

Gay News ''Gay News'' was a fortnightly newspaper in the United Kingdom founded in June 1972 in a collaboration between former members of the Gay Liberation Front and members of the Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE). At the newspaper's height, circul ...

'' and ''London Magazine''. He published a number of short stories in ''London Magazine'', ''

Fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...

'' magazine, '' Critical Quarterly'' and three PEN/Arts Council anthologies.

Books

Parker subsequently turned to writing non-fiction, and his first book, ''The Old Lie: The Great War and the Public-School Ethos'' was published by Constable in 1987. A paperback edition, with a new introduction, was published by

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions. Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest mus ...

in 2007. Parker's second book ''Ackerley: The Life of J. R. Ackerley'' was published by

Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

in the UK in 1989 and by

Farrar, Straus and Giroux Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) is an American book publishing company, founded in 1946 by Roger Williams Straus Jr. and John C. Farrar. FSG is known for publishing literary books, and its authors have won numerous awards, including Pulitzer ...

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. He edited (and wrote much of) two literary encyclopaedias: ''A Reader's Guide to the Twentieth-Century Novel'' published in the UK by Fourth Estate and Helicon in 1994 and in America by

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

in 1995, and ''A Reader's Guide to Twentieth-Century Writers'' published in the UK by Fourth Estate and Helicon in 1995 and in America by

in 1996. Parker then wrote the "definitive" biography of

Christopher Isherwood Christopher William Bradshaw Isherwood (26 August 1904 – 4 January 1986) was an Anglo-American novelist, playwright, screenwriter, autobiographer, and diarist. His best-known works include '' Goodbye to Berlin'' (1939), a semi-autobiographical ...

which took him 12 years to finish; he said, "I was married to Christopher Isherwood for 12 years and to J. R. Ackerley I think only for four." The book was published in 2004, on the

centenary {{other uses, Centennial (disambiguation), Centenary (disambiguation) A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century, a period of 100 years. Notable events Notable centennial events at ...

of Isherwood's birth, by Pan

Macmillan MacMillan, Macmillan, McMillen or McMillan may refer to: People * McMillan (surname) * Clan MacMillan, a Highland Scottish clan * Harold Macmillan, British statesman and politician * James MacMillan, Scottish composer * William Duncan MacMillan ...

in the UK under the title ''Isherwood'' and by

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

in America under the title ''Isherwood: A Life Revealed''. David Thomson, in ''

The New Republic ''The New Republic'' is an American magazine of commentary on politics, contemporary culture, and the arts. Founded in 1914 by several leaders of the progressive movement, it attempted to find a balance between "a liberalism centered in hum ...

'' described it as, "Immense and magnificent … ''A Life Revealed'' is a modest subtitle for such a daunting process of reconstruction and re-appraisal." ''The Last Veteran: Harry Patch and the Legacy of War'' was published by Fourth Estate on Armistice Day in 2009. Simon Heffer in ''The Daily Telegraph'' wrote, "A fine work of research and of history. Parker tells the story of how the War came to an end and how the aftermath was coped with." Parker's ''Housman Country: Into the Heart of England'', is cultural history of ''

A Shropshire Lad ''A Shropshire Lad'' is a collection of sixty-three poems by the English poet Alfred Edward Housman, published in 1896. Selling slowly at first, it then rapidly grew in popularity, particularly among young readers. Composers began setting the ...

'', was published by Little, Brown in 2016. It was among the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

'', ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

''s, the ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

''s and ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

'' Best Books of 2016. The book was published in the US in 2017 by

and was a ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

Book Review'' Editor's Choice and nominated for the 2017 PEN/Bograd Weld Prize for Biography. Parker wrote a discursive account of the history and origins of plant names in his book ''A Little Book of Latin for Gardeners'' published by Little, Brown in 2018. Parker in London 2019

Journalism

Parker was an associate editor of the ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'' (2004) and remains an advisory editor for the regular updates to the project. Among the books to which Parker has contributed are

Scribner Scribner may refer to: Media * Charles Scribner's Sons, also known as Scribner or Scribner's, New York City publisher * ''Scribner's Magazine'', pictorial published from 1887–1939 by Charles Scribner's Sons, then merged with the ''Commentator ...

's ''British Writers'' (on

L. P. Hartley Leslie Poles Hartley (30 December 1895 – 13 December 1972) was a British novelist and short story writer. Although his first fiction was published in 1924, his career was slow to take off. His best-known novels are the '' Eustace and Hilda'' ...

, 2002), the seventh edition of ''The Oxford Companion to English Literature'' (2009), ''Fifty Gay and Lesbian Books Everybody Must Read'' (2009) and ''Britten's Century'', published in 2013 to mark the centenary of the composer

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

. His edition of

G. F. Green George Frederick Green (1911–1977), was a British writer of novels and short stories. Biography The son of the owner of an iron foundry, Green was born in Derbyshire. He was educated at Wells House preparatory school in Malvern, Repton Sch ...

's 1952 novel ''In the Making'' was published as a

Penguin Modern Classic Penguin Classics is an imprint of Penguin Books under which classic works of literature are published in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Korean among other languages. Literary critics see books in this series as important members of the Western ...

in 2012, and in 2016 he wrote an introduction to the

Slightly Foxed ''Slightly Foxed'' is a British quarterly literary magazine. Its primary focus is books and book culture. 2016 saw the publication of its fiftieth issue. Notable authors to have written for the magazine include Penelope Lively, Richard Mabey, Dia ...

edition of Diana Petre's 1975 memoir ''The Secret Orchard of Roger Ackerley''. A full-length animated feature film of J. R. Ackerley's book ''

My Dog Tulip ''My Dog Tulip'' is a 2009 American independent animated feature film based on the 1956 memoir of the same name by J. R. Ackerley, BBC editor, novelist and memoirist. The film tells the story of Ackerley's fifteen-year relationship with his Alsati ...

'', for which he collaborated on the script and acted as advisor to the producers, was released in 2010. Parker was a member of the executive committee of English PEN from 1993 to 1997 and a trustee of the PEN Literary Foundation, acting as chair from 1999 to 2000. He was on the committee of the

London Library The London Library is an independent lending library in London, established in 1841. It was founded on the initiative of Thomas Carlyle, who was dissatisfied with some of the policies at the British Museum Library. It is located at 14 St James's ...

from 1999 to 2002, subsequently becoming a trustee (2004–07); chair of the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...

Lindley Library The Lindley Library in London is the largest horticultural library in the world. It is within the headquarters of the Royal Horticultural Society, Library The main part of the library is based at 80 Vincent Square, London, within the headquarters ...

Advisory Committee (2009–2013); and vice-chair of the Council of the

(2008–14). From 2014 until 2017 he was a visiting fellow in the School of Arts at the

University of Northampton , mottoeng = Let us not be ignorant , established = 2005 (gained University status) 1975 (Nene College established) , type = Public , endowment = £0.95 m (2015) , chancellor = Richard Coles , vice_chancellor = ...

. Since 1979 Parker has been a frequent contributor of reviews and features to numerous newspapers and magazines, including ''The Listener'', ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'', ''

The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication i ...

'', the ''New Statesman'', ''

The Oldie ''The Oldie'' is a British monthly magazine written for older people "as a light-hearted alternative to a press obsessed with youth and celebrity", according to its website. The magazine was launched in 1992 by Richard Ingrams, who was its edi ...

'', ''

'', ''Apollo'' and the gardening quarterly ''Hortus''. He was on the editorial board of the ''London Library Magazine'' (2008–2019) while he continues to serve on the editorial board of RIBA's ''A Magazine''. Since 1990 he has been one of the judges of the annual PEN Ackerley Prize for literary autobiography, becoming chair in 2007, and he was for several years one of the judges of the

Encore Award The £10,000 Encore Award for the best second novel was first awarded in 1990. It is sponsored by Lucy Astor. The award fills a niche in the catalogue of literary prizes by celebrating the achievement of outstanding second novels, often neglecte ...

for a second novel.

References

External links

*
Bloomsbury

Observer review: Isherwood by Peter Parker

Review: Isherwood by Peter Parker

Christopher and his kind

Isherwood’s fine memorial

Review: Isherwood by Peter Parker

ISHERWOOD by Peter Parker , Kirkus Reviews

I am a cactus

Isherwood by Peter Parker

* ttps://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/27/books/review/a-e-housman-country-biography-peter-parker.html England’s Poet of Melancholy, and Why He Never Went Out of Print
On the Trail of ‘A Shropshire Lad’

The Observer as Hero

I, Me, Mine

* ttps://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/private/harry-patch-the-last-veteran-and-the-unknown-warrior Harry Patch, the Last Veteran and the Unknown Warrior
Housman Country: Into the Heart of England by Peter Parker review – the inverse of roast-beef heartiness
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Peter English biographers 20th-century English historians 21st-century English historians 1954 births Living people People from Herefordshire People educated at Canford School Alumni of University College London Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature