His head was boiled, impaled upon a pole and raised above London Bridge. So ended the life of Thomas More, one of the few Londoners upon whom sainthood has been conferred and the first English layman to be beatified as a martyr. Peter Ackroyd beatifyboilbridge share on social
People are much more interesting than people realise. Peter Ackroyd interestpeoplerealise Change image and share on social
I don't in any sense think of myself as a celebrity, which of course I'm not. Peter Ackroyd celebritysense Change image and share on social
To watch King Lear is to approach the recognition that there is indeed no meaning in life, and that there are limits to human understanding. Peter Ackroyd approachhumanking Change image and share on social
There are so many characters whizzing around inside my head, it's like Looney Tunes. But as soon as I've finished writing about them, I completely forget who they are. Peter Ackroyd charactercompletelyfinish Change image and share on social
I detest self-regard. If my work has taught me anything, it is that self-aggrandisement is completely unhistorical. Peter Ackroyd aggrandisementcompletelydetest Change image and share on social
I saw a ghost once, about 20 years ago. It took the form of someone coming out of a sleeping body and sitting at the foot of the bed. Peter Ackroyd agobedbody Change image and share on social
In 'The Plato Papers' I wanted to get another perspective on the present moment by extrapolating into the distant future. So in that sense, there's a definite similarity of purpose between a book set in the future and a book set in the past. Peter Ackroyd bookdefinitedistant share on social
To be a writer was always my greatest aim. I remember writing a play about Guy Fawkes when I was 10. I suppose it's significant, at least to me, that my first work should be about a historical figure. Peter Ackroyd aimfawkesfigure Change image and share on social
Thomas More rarely discussed his siblings, and two of them are never mentioned by him. It is likely that they were part of that infant mortality which had provoked such concern for early baptism. Peter Ackroyd baptismconcerndiscuss Change image and share on social
