Peter Ackroyd CBE, FRSL, is an acclaimed English biographer, novelist, and critic, renowned for his profound interest in the history and culture of London. His mother worked in the personnel department of an engineering firm, and he was raised by her after his father left the family when Ackroyd was an infant. A precocious child, Ackroyd was reading newspapers by the age of 5 and had written a play about Guy Fawkes by the age of 9. His early realization of his gay identity came at the age of 7.

Ackroyd's educational journey took him to St. Benedict's, Ealing and later to Clare College, Cambridge, where he graduated with a double first in English. His academic prowess earned him a Mellon Fellowship at Yale University in 1972. It was during this fellowship that he wrote Notes for a New Culture, published when he was only 27, marking an early milestone in his literary career.

His literary achievements include numerous novels about English history and culture as well as biographies of prominent figures including William Blake, Charles Dickens, T. S. Eliot, Charlie Chaplin, and Sir Thomas More. Ackroyd's work has earned him prestigious accolades such as the Somerset Maugham Award and two Whitbread Awards. He is also recognized for his voluminous output, versatility in style, ability to adopt various narrative voices, and his meticulous research.

Ackroyd's contributions to literature were honored in 1984 when he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Further recognition came in 2003 when he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.