Peter Ackroyd
Peter Ackroyd ( born October 5, 1949 in London ) is a British writer who is known for his novels and biographies.
Life
Peter Ackroyd alone was raised by his mother, who worked in the personnel office of an engineering company. His father left the family when Ackroyd was a baby. At the age of five years, the boy was reading newspapers at the age of nine, he wrote a play about Guy Fawkes.
Ackroyd studied English at Clare College, Cambridge, where, in 1971 the Master of Arts made , and later at Yale University.
After his studies, Peter Ackroyd worked from 1973 to 1982, first as editor, then editor in chief of the British magazine The Spectator. In 1984 he became a member of the Royal Society of Literature. Currently, he is chief literary critic of The Times, and radio host.
Work
For Ackroyd's works include both fiction books ( mainly about English cultural history, for example, William Shakespeare) as well as numerous novels set primarily in his home city of London. ( Original title: "The House of Doctor Dee " ) where especially historical novels such as The House of the Magician are, but also a science fiction novel (The Plato Papers, 1999) emerged. In 1989, the novel was published in The clock in God's hands ( " First Light ").
Libretto
Peter Ackroyd also wrote the libretto for the opera A Harlot 's Progress by William Hogarth ( Music: Iain Bell), which at the Theater an der Wien on 13 October with the soprano Diana Damrau in the title role, under the musical direction of Mikko Franck and directed by Jens- Daniel Herzog premiered.
Novels
- The case of the builder. Random House, Reinbek, 1988, ISBN 3-498-00024-1 ( from the English by Hans Wolf) in paperback: Random House, Reinbek, 1991, ISBN 3-499-12870-5
- In paperback: Random House, Reinbek, 1995, ISBN 3-499-13629-5
- In paperback: Random House, Reinbek, 1995, ISBN 3-499-13695-3
- In paperback: Goldmann, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-442-72778-2
- In paperback: btb Verlag, Munich 2006, ISBN 978-3-442-73500-6
- In paperback: btb publishing 2009, ISBN 978-3-442-73908-0
Non-fiction books (selection)
- T. S. Eliot: A Biography. Suhrkamp Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1988, ISBN 3-518-02276-8 ( from the English by Wolfgang Held )
- William Blake: poet, painter, visionary. Albrecht Knaus Verlag, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-8135-0102-7 ( from the English by Thomas Eichhorn )
- London: The Biography. Albrecht Knaus Verlag, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-8135-0189-2 ( from the English by Holger Fließbach ) as a special edition: Albrecht Knaus Verlag, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-8135-0290-2
- In paperback: Goldmann Verlag, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-442-73266-2
- In paperback: btb Verlag, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-442-73849-6
Non-fiction books for children
- Journey into space. Dorling Kindersley, Starnberg 2004, ISBN 3-8310-0558-3 ( from the English by Werner Horwath, editorial Kerstin Wendsche )
- Time of the Pharaohs. Dorling Kindersley, Starnberg 2005, ISBN 3-8310-0679-2 ( from the English by Angela Wagner, editorial Christiane Burkhardt)
- Inca, Maya and Aztec. Dorling Kindersley, Starnberg, 2005, ISBN 3-8310-0740-3 ( from the English by Cornelia Panzacchi, editorial Sabine vom Bruch )
- Ancient Rome. Dorling Kindersley, Starnberg 2006, ISBN 3-8310-0805-1 ( from the English by Angela Wagner, editors Hans Kaiser)
- The old Greece. Dorling Kindersley, Starnberg, 2006 ISBN 978-3-8310-0901-5 ( from the English by Cornelia Panzacchi, Editor Karin Fellner )