Jonathan Keates

Jonathan Keates FRSL (born 1946) is an English writer, biographer, novelist and Chairman of the Venice in Peril Fund.

Biography

Jonathan Keates was born in Paris, France, in 1946. 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. He is very interested in Venice, and speaks Italian, French, Spanish, German and Portuguese. He also writes reviews in some prominent magazines.

In addition, Keates was an English teacher employed by the City of London School from 1974 to 2013 and a judge of several writing competitions. Keates retired in order to focus on his chairmanship of the Venice in Peril Fund. On his exit from the school in July 2013, having given a tearful farewell speech, he was given two standing ovations by the pupils and staff, and a 200-person dinner was given in his honour.

Awards and distinctions

• James Tait Black Memorial Prize (1983)
• Hawthornden Prize (1983)
• Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (1992)