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),

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

. 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

*''

'' (1982) () *''Iris Murdoch. The Saint and the Artist'' (1986, 3rd edition 2001) () *'' Fyodor Dostoevsky'' (1987) () *''

'' (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 {{UK-writer-stub