Ackerley: The Life of J.R. Ackerley

by Peter Parker

“Peter Parker’s biography is as frank and often almost as witty as Ackerley’s own books . . . But Ackerley is more than a candid account of one man’s public and private life; it is also a candid view of London in mid-century, full of entertaining anecdotes about literary figures. If Ackerley had chosen a biographer himself he could hardly have done better." —Alison Lurie, The New York Times Book Review

Genres: Biography

465 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Peter Parker (1954-) was born in Herefordshire and educated in the Malverns, Dorset and London. He is the author of The Old Lie: The Great War and Public-School Ethos and biographies of J.R. Ackerley and Christopher Isherwood. He edited the Reader’s Companion to the Twentieth-Century Novel and The Reader’s Companion to Twentieth Century Writers, and was an associate editor of The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. He writes about books and gardening for a wide variety of newspapers and magazines and lives in London’s East End.

Reviews

[Martin Moriarty · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Ackerley believed that life should be led off the leash by humans and animals alike, and he regarded the proud owners of obedient dogs with the suspicious eye of a libertarian. All too often dogs he met on walks appeared to have been cowed into submission by their power-hungry owners. Queenie’s obedience, such as it was, resulted from a mutually respectful relationship, he argued, founded upon love rather than fear.”

[Naman Chaudhary · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is one of those rare biographies that read like fiction with twists and surprises, both good and bad, in each chapter. A must read even if you aren't a fan of biographies of non-fiction. You'll not regret it!

[Robert Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am only 50 pages in, but it is darned interesting.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

First rate bio of a fine writer.

[Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good biography about a very interesting man.

[Daren Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

An openly gay man when it was not safe to be so, JRAckerly was one of those truly brave souls who blazed without an obvious trail; someone who, though pivotal in furthering other people’s careers (#Auden, #Isherwood, #Spender, #Larkin), seems to have slipped into obscurity. This, despite writing three acclaimed literary works and being a close friend of E M Forster. The son of the Banana King, the founder of the company whose name adorns most bananas found in fruit bowls today, he had a comfortable upbringing, was a war hero and was literary editor for the BBC magazine, The Listener, for decades. Not just a brilliant biography, Peter Parker’s account is a gateway to countless forgotten classic that I have added to my reading list, Hindoo Holiday and My Father and Myself being just two of many. Highly recommend.