Jerry Brotton is a British historian. He is Professor of Renaissance Studies at

Queen Mary University of London Queen Mary University of London (QMUL, or informally QM, and formerly Queen Mary and Westfield College) is a public university, public research university in Mile End, East London, England. It is a member institution of the federal University ...

, a television and radio presenter and a

curator A curator (from , meaning 'to take care') is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular ins ...

. Brotton writes about literature, history, material culture, trade, and east-west relations, particularly in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. He employs interdisciplinary approaches, looking at art, politics, history, travel writing and literature. His book ''A History of the World in Twelve Maps'' (Allen Lane, 2012) has been translated into twelve languages. It was accompanied by a three-part series on

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

, ''Maps: Power, Plunder and Possession''. His ''The Sale of the Late King's Goods: Charles I and His Art Collection'' (Macmillan, 2006) was nominated for the Samuel Johnson Prize (now the

Baillie Gifford Prize The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction, formerly the Samuel Johnson Prize, is an annual British book prize for the best non-fiction writing in the English language. It was founded in 1999 following the demise of the NCR Book Award. With its ...

). It wryly proposes that the dispersal of Charles I's art collection in 1649 was a democratic move, one that merits imitation in the contemporary world. His 2016 book ''This Orient Isle: Elizabethan England and the Islamic World'' (London: Allen Lane, 2016) was serialised on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

and won the Historical Writers Association Non-Fiction Crown (2017). Brotton collaborated as a curator and commentator with the artist and director of Factum Arte, Adam Lowe, in the exhibit ''Penelope’s Labour: Weaving Words and Images'', at the

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Architecture Biennale (), ...

in 2011, and in 2019 he and map librarian Nick Millea co-curated the exhibition ''Talking Maps'' at the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1602 by Sir Thomas Bodley, it is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second-largest library in ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

. Brotton has written and presented various radio programmes for

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...

, BBC Radio 4 and the

BBC World Service The BBC World Service is a British Public broadcasting, public service broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC. It is the world's largest external broadcaster in terms of reception area, language selection and audience reach. It broadcas ...

on historical subjects including

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

, the history of the

ghetto A ghetto is a part of a city in which members of a minority group are concentrated, especially as a result of political, social, legal, religious, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished than other ...

El Dorado El Dorado () is a mythical city of gold supposedly located somewhere in South America. The king of this city was said to be so rich that he would cover himself from head to foot in gold dust – either daily or on certain ceremonial occasions � ...

, ‘Blood and Bronze’ (a ten-part Radio 3 series on Benvenuto Cellini, 2021), ‘One Direction’ (a five-part Radio 4 series on the cardinal directions, 2022), and ‘We Other Tudors’ (a ten-part Radio 3 series, 2023).

Notable works

*''The Renaissance Bazaar: From the Silk Road to Michelangelo'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. ) *''The Renaissance: A Very Short Introduction'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. ) *''The Sale of the Late King's Goods: Charles I and his Art Collection'' (London: Pan Macmillan, 2006. ) *''A History of the World in Twelve Maps'' (London: Allen Lane, 2012. ) *''Great Maps: The World's Masterpieces Explored and Explained'' (London: Dorling Kindersley, 2014. *''This Orient Isle: Elizabethan England and the Islamic World'' (London: Allen Lane, 2016. ) *''The Sultan and the Queen: The Untold Story of Elizabeth and Islam'' (London: Viking, 2018. ) *''Trading Territories: Mapping the Early Modern World'' (London: Reaktion Books, 2018. ) *(co-author with Nick Millea) ''Talking Maps'' (Oxford: The Bodleian Library, 2019. *''Four Points of the Compass: The Unexpected History of Direction''

References

External links

*http://www.sed.qmul.ac.uk/staff/brottonj.html *https://literature.britishcouncil.org/writer/jerry-brotton *https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/jerry-brotton/33061/ *http://www.factum-arte.com/pag/283/Penelope-apos-s-Labour---Weaving-Words-and-Images {{DEFAULTSORT:Brotton, Jerry Academics of Queen Mary University of London 21st-century British historians Historians of the Renaissance BBC radio presenters BBC television presenters Living people Year of birth missing (living people)