Peter Conrad (born 1948) is an Australian-born academic specialising in

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

, who taught at Christ Church at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

. He is a fellow of the

Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 800 Fellows, elect ...

. Conrad was born in

Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...

, Tasmania, and attended Hobart High School. After graduating from the

University of Tasmania The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College (University of Tasmania), Christ College, one of the unive ...

in 1968, Conrad went to Oxford University, UK, on a

Rhodes Scholarship The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford in Oxford, United Kingdom. The scholarship is open to people from all backgrounds around the world. Established in 1902, it is ...

, studying at New College. He became a

fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

All Souls College All Souls College (official name: The College of All Souls of the Faithful Departed, of Oxford) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically become fellows (i.e., full me ...

from 1970 to 1973 before taking up his current post at Christ Church. There he taught English from 1973, and has been a visiting professor at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

and at

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim ...

, and a guest lecturer throughout the United States. By 2018 he had retired. His

criticism Criticism is the construction of a judgement about the negative or positive qualities of someone or something. Criticism can range from impromptu comments to a written detailed response. , ''the act of giving your opinion or judgment about the ...

includes a major history of English literature, ''The Everyman History of English Literature'', a

cultural history Cultural history records and interprets past events involving human beings through the social, cultural, and political milieu of or relating to the arts and manners that a group favors. Jacob Burckhardt (1818–1897) helped found cultural history ...

of the twentieth century, two autobiographical works and a novel. He has written books of criticism on

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...

and

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...

and has been a prolific writer of features and reviews for many magazines and newspapers including ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'', ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

'', the ''

New Statesman ''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...

'', and ''

The Monthly ''The Monthly'' is an Australian national magazine of politics, society and the arts, which is published eleven times per year on a monthly basis except the December/January issue. Founded in 2005, it is published by Melbourne property developer ...

''. Reviewing

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlinson ...

's ''

The Silmarillion ''The Silmarillion'' () is a book consisting of a collection of myths and stories in varying styles by the English writer J. R. R. Tolkien. It was edited, partly written, and published posthumously by his son Christopher in 1977, assisted by G ...

'' in the ''

'', Conrad stated that "Tolkien can't actually write". A review by Richard Poirier of Conrad's 1980 book ''Imagining America'' in the ''

London Review of Books The ''London Review of Books'' (''LRB'') is a British literary magazine published bimonthly that features articles and essays on fiction and non-fiction subjects, which are usually structured as book reviews. History The ''London Review of Book ...

'' found it "so slipshod, with such fundamental and pointedly homophobic misunderstandings of

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

, Rupert Brooke and W. H. Auden", that the reviewer wondered how it made it into print.

Bibliography

* * ''Romantic Opera and Literary Form'', Berkeley & Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1978, * ''Shandyism: The Character of Romantic Irony'', Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1978, * ''Imagining America'', New York: Oxford University Press, 1980, * ''Television: The Medium and its Manners'', Boston: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1982, * ''The Art of the City: Views and Versions of New York'', New York: Oxford University Press, 1984, * ''The Everyman History of English Literature'', London: J. M. Dent, 1985, * ''A Song of Love and Death: The Meaning of Opera'', New York: Poseidon Press, 1987, *
Behind the Mountain: Return to Tasmania
', London: Chatto & Windus, 1988, * ''Where I Fell to Earth: A Life in Four Cities'', New York: Poseidon Press, 1990, * ''Underworld'', Simon & Schuster, 1992, * ''Modern Times, Modern Places: Life and Art in the Twentieth Century'', Thames & Hudson, 1999, * * ''The Hitchock Murders'', Faber and Faber, 2002, * ''At Home in Australia'', Thames & Hudson, 2003, * ''Orson Welles: The Stories of His Life'', Faber and Faber, 2004, * ''Creation: Artists, Gods & Origins'', Thames & Hudson, 2007, * * ''Verdi and/or Wagner: Two Men, Two Worlds, Two Centuries'', Thames & Hudson, 2014, * ''Mythomania: Tales of Our Times'', Thames & Hudson, 2016, * ''Shakespeare: The Theatre of Our World'', Head of Zeus, 2018, * ''The Mysteries of Cinema: Movies and Imagination'', Thames & Hudson, 2021,

References

External links

Faber & Faber's biography
by Terry Eagleton: Review of ''Modern Times, Modern Places''.
"Tales of Two Hemispheres" – Peter Conrad
Boyer Lectures, 2004,

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

Peter Conrad
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Conrad, Peter 1948 births Living people Alumni of New College, Oxford Australian Rhodes Scholars Fellows of All Souls College, Oxford Fellows of Christ Church, Oxford Granta people People from Hobart University of Tasmania alumni