| Tim Jeal | |
|---|---|
 Publicity picture for Dulwich Festival 2006 |
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| Born | 1945 London? |
| Occupation | novelist, biographer |
| Nationality | United Kingdom |
| Writing period | 1960s– |
| Genres | fiction; biography |
| Subjects | notable Victorian men |
| Influenced | Scouting |
| Website | www.faber.co.uk |
Tim Jeal (born 1945) is a British novelist, and biographer of notable Victorian men. His publications include biographies of Baden-Powell, Livingstone and his most recent, Henry Morton Stanley (2007). In 2004 his memoir Swimming with my Father was acclaimed and was shortlisted for the J.R.Ackerley Prize for Autobiography. Jeal was formally educated in London and Oxford, and lives in North London. He has a wife, and three adult daughters.
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Personal history
Jeal's mother was Norah Pasley, daughter of Sir Thomas Pasley Bt, and Constance Wilmot Annie Hastings, who was the daughter of the 13th Earl of Huntingdon.[1] Jeal was educated at Westminster School, London, and Christ Church, Oxford. From 1966 to 1970, he worked for BBC Television in the features group.[2] For his third novel, Cushing's Crusade, he was awarded the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize in 1974.[3] [4]
Publications
Jeal has been writing books since the 1960s, for London-based publishers.[5] Although most of his works are fictional, he is best known for his biographies, all of which fundamentally and enduringly changed the way in which his subjects had hitherto been perceived.[4] His new biography of Stanley has attracted interest for its revisionist tendencies.[6] Dr Jane Ridley in the Sunday Telegraph (2007-03-18) argues that 'Tim Jeal's absorbing biography will surely be definitive.' Professor John Carey in the Sunday Times (2007-03-18)accepted that Jeal's 'ardent, intricate defence of a man history has damned' had been successful,and concluded: 'Anyone who, after reading this book, imagines they would have behaved better than Sanley, if faced with the same dangers, must have a vivid imagination.' Tim Gardam in the Observer (2007-04-01) felt that Jeal had 'fulfilled a mission to rehabilitate one of the most complex heroes of Victorian Britain'. Kevin Rushby in the Guardian (2007--03-24), said he was 'aware of the dangers of revisionism' and doubted that Stanley was as innocent as Jeal argued, but pronounced Stanley 'a stunning and provocative work, an awesome piece of scholarship executed with page-turning brio.' Tim Jeal had unique access to the massive Stanley collection in the Royal Museum of Central Africa in Brussels and saw many letters, diaries and other documents (including correspondence between Stanley and King Leopold of Belgium) unseen by previous biographers.
Fiction
- Jeal, Tim (1967). For love or money. London: Macmillan, 188p. ASIN B0000CNAGZ.
- Jeal, Tim (1968). Somewhere beyond reproach. London: Macmillan, 155p. ASIN B0000COD35.
- Jeal, Tim (1974). Cushing's crusade. London: Heinemann. ISBN 0-434-37209-9.
- Jeal, Tim (1976). Until the colours fade. London: Hamish Hamilton, 478p. ISBN 0-241-89484-0.
- Jeal, Tim (1979). A marriage of convenience. London: Hamish Hamilton, 416p. ISBN 0-241-10207-3.
- Jeal, Tim (1983). Carnforth's creation. William Collins, 256p. ISBN 0-00-221973-5.
- Jeal, Tim (1996). For God and Glory. William Morrow and Co, 343p. ISBN 0-688-11871-2.
- Jeal, Tim (1997). The missionary's wife. London: Little, Brown, 352p. ISBN 0-316-88113-9.
- Jeal, Tim (2000). Deep water. London: Little, Brown, 320p. ISBN 0-316-64684-9.
Biographies
- About David Livingstone: Jeal, Tim (1973). Livingstone. London: Heinemann, 427p. ISBN 0-434-37208-0.
- About Robert Baden-Powell Jeal, Tim (1989). Baden-Powell. London: Hutchinson, 688p. ISBN 0-09-170670-X.
- About his own parents: Jeal, Tim (2004). Swimming with my father. London: Faber and Faber, 208p. ISBN 0-571-22100-9.
- About Henry Morton Stanley, Jeal, Tim (2007). Stanley. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 0-571-22102-5.
See also
References
- ^ Jeal, Swimming with my Father, 2004
- ^ Author details to Baden-Powell, Pimlico edition, 1991
- ^ Publisher's details about the author. Faber and Faber. Retrieved on 2006-08-25.
- ^ a b Steiner, Zara (1990-04-01). There is a brotherhood of boys, review of Jeal's Baden-Powell book. New York Times. Retrieved on 2006-08-25.
- ^ Books by Jeal, on Amazon UK. Retrieved on 2006-08-25.
- ^ Porter, Bernard (2007-05-05). Did he puff his crimes to please a bloodthirsty readership?, review of Jeal's Stanley. London Review of Books. Retrieved on 2007-06-18.
