Jonathan Keates

Jonathan Keates
3rd Chairman of the Venice in Peril Fund
In office
January 2013 – April 2022
Preceded byJohn Julius Norwich
Succeeded byGuy Elliott
Personal details
Born
Jonathan B. Keates

1946
Paris, France
Alma materMagdalen College, Oxford
OccupationWriter
Teacher

Jonathan B. Keates FRSL (born 1946) is an English writer, biographer, novelist and former chairman of the Venice in Peril Fund.[1]

Biography

Jonathan Keates was born in Paris, France, in 1946.[2] He was educated at Bryanston School and went on to read for his undergraduate degree at Magdalen College, Oxford. He has written a number of acclaimed biographies and travel books, but his works of fiction have also received critical acclaim, most notably Allegro Postillions, for which he was awarded both the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the Hawthornden Prize. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.[3]

In addition, Keates was an English teacher employed by the City of London School[4] from 1974 to 2013, where Daniel Radcliffe was among one of his students.[5] He was a judge of several writing competitions (including the Booker Prize 1991[6]). Keates retired in order to focus on his chairmanship of the Venice in Peril Fund. His latest book, La Serenissima: The Story of Venice (2022), takes place in 1846 during the Habsburgs' siege of Venice.[7]

Awards and distinctions

Published work

  • Shakespeare Country (1979)
  • Historic London (1979)
  • Canterbury Cathedral (1980)
  • Love of Italy (1980)
  • Allegro Postillions (1983)
  • The Companion Guide to the Shakespeare Country (1983)
  • Drawings and Sketches of Oxford (1983)
  • Handel: The Man And His Music (1985)
  • The Strangers' Gallery (1987)
  • Tuscany (1988)
  • Italian Journeys (1991)
  • Umbria (1991)
  • Stendhal (1994)
  • Venice (1994)
  • Purcell: A Biography (1995)
  • Soon to Be a Major Motion Picture (1997)
  • Smile Please (2001)
  • Short Stories (2001)
  • The Rough Guide History of Italy (2003)
  • The Siege of Venice (2005)
  • William III & Mary II Partners in Revolution (2015)
  • Messiah (2016)
  • Keates, Jonathan (2022). La Serenissima: The Story of Venice. Apollo.

References

  1. ^ "Venice in Peril Fund President, Chairman and Trustees". Archived from the original on 25 February 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  2. ^ "Jonathan Keates", British Council, Literature.
  3. ^ a b c "Jonathan Keates - Literature". literature.britishcouncil.org. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  4. ^ "Author Jonathan Keates visits CLS", City of London School.
  5. ^ "Mr Keates strolls into sunset". Evening Standard. 28 June 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  6. ^ "Jonathan Keates | The Booker Prizes". thebookerprizes.com. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  7. ^ "A sumptuous history book of Venice, reveals the 'mythical creature' in all her glory". The Art Newspaper - International art news and events. 5 December 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2023.


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