David Starkey – författare

Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survivedCATHERINE OF ARAGON: the pious Spanish Catholic who suffered years of miscarriages and failed to produce a male heir... ANNE BOLEYN: the pretty, clever, French-educated Protestant whose marriage to Henry changed England forever...JANE SEYMOUR: the demure and submissive contrast to Anne Boleyn's radical and vampish style... ANNE OF CLEVES: 'the mare of Flanders' whose short marriage to the overweight Henry followed a farcical 'beauty contest'...CATHERINE HOWARD: the flirtatious teenager whose adulteries made a fool of the ageing king... CATHERINE PARR: the shrewd, religiously radical bluestocking who outlived him...In this dazzling study, David Starkey gives us a richly textured picture of daily life at the Tudor Court from the woman's point of view. Above all, he establishes the interaction of the private and the public, and demonstrates how the Queens of Henry VIII were central in determining political policy.

Bestselling royal historian David Starkey’s captivating biography is a radical re-evaluation of Henry VIII, the British monarchy’s most enduring icon.Larger than life in every sense, Henry VIII was Britain’s most absolute monarch – but he was not born to rule. In this brilliantly readable history, David Starkey follows the promising young prince – a Renaissance man of exceptional musical and athletic talent – as he is thrust into the limelight after the death of his elder brother. His subsequent quest for fame was as obsessive as that of any modern celebrity, and his yearning for a male heir drove him into dangerous territory.The culmination of a lifetime’s research, David Starkey’s biography is an unforgettable portrait of the man behind the controversies, the prince turned tyrant who continues to tower over history.

An exploration of the British monarchy from the retreat of the Romans up until the modern day. This compendium volume of two earlier books is fully revised and updated.The monarchy is one of Britain’s most revered institutions – but also one of its most tumultuous. In Crown and Country, David Starkey charts its rollercoaster history from earliest times to the present; from the courtly love of the Middle Ages, through the turbulent reign of the Tudors, to the chaos of the Civil War.Starkey brings this tempestuous story up to date in this complete history, guiding us through the Abdication Crisis to the dissolution of the marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. He draws upon rank and romance in light of the wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William and brings to life a cast of colourful characters and some riveting stories. Crown and Country is both a brilliant overview of the monarchy and a vividly iconoclastic portrait of British culture, politics and nationhood.

'The best account in English of the early years of Elizabeth' Evening Standard A woman in a man's world, Queen Elizabeth I was to become England's most successful ruler. Confident in her destiny, intensely intelligent, passionately sexual yet (she said) a virgin, Elizabeth's reign was characterised by a self-assurance unusual for the time. Finding her way through the labyrinthine plots that surrounded the court, she had to live by her wits, surrounded by betrayal and suspicion, not knowing who to trust with her desire to be queen, or her desire to be a lover.David Starkey's portrait of the first female ruler of England is an enlightening account. Filled with lucid and clear scenes with fascinating insight throughout, Elizabeth is a truly masterful retelling of the life of a legendary monarch.'What a page turner!' Time Out'Fresh and lively... Vividly told' Sunday Times

Political pundits never tire of reminding us of the great cultural divide between conservative "red" states and liberal "blue" ones. But common sense tells us that not all people in these states can be politically like-minded. David Starkey, a former red-state resident, wondered what politically progressive creative writers were feeling in the wake of George W. Bush's reelection. How, Starkey asked contributors, does one live blue in a red state. This book supplies many answers. Writers as different as Jonis Agee and Stephen Corey, Robin Hemley and Lee Martin (a 2006 Pulitzer Prize finalist in fiction), Donald Morrill and Wyoming poet laureate David Romtvedt describe what it is like to live in a region that doesn't always share one's values. While pointedly progressive, the collection brings together the work of essayists who look beyond the passions of the moment—the war in Iraq, the rallying of the Right around social issues, the Democrats' failure in 2004—to the need for unity. Sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant, always enlightening, these essayists' views testify to the power of writing to bring us together as one nation of whatever color.

'A soaring account of the months that transformed a messy feudal squabble into Magna Carta...his crisp storytelling, based around short chapters and rolling rhetoric, is extremely entertaining.' Dan Jones, Mail on Sunday'I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Good history is descriptive, narrative and analytical. This is good history.' Gerard DeGroot, The TimesAt Runnymede, on the banks of the River Thames, on 15 June 1215, the seal of King John was attached to the Magna Carta, and peace descended upon the land. Or that's what successive generations have believed. But is it true? And have we been persuaded (or persuaded ourselves) that the events of 15 June 1215 not only ended a civil war between the king and the barons but - as if by magic - established a British constitution beloved and copied throughout the world?Often viewed as a victory for the people over the monarchy and a cornerstone of democracy, the true significance of Magna Carta is misunderstood and misrepresented. In Magna Carta: The True Story Behind the Charter, David Starkey paints a vivid portrait of the years 1215-1225, ten revolutionary years of huge significance that produced not one but four charters. Peopled by colourful historical figures - John, the boy-king Henry, Pope Innocent III, Archbishop Stephen Langton, William Marshal - Starkey tells a story of treachery and idealism, politics and peace-making that is surprising and enthralling.Informative, entertaining and controversial, Magna Carta: The True Story Behind the Charterchallenges centuries of myth-making to demonstrate how important it is we understand the true significance of that day beside the Thames, over eight hundred years ago.

Teaching Accelerated and Corequisite Composition is the first book to compile on-the-ground advice and teaching strategies specifically curated for accelerated and corequisite writing courses. Trailblazers in the field from colleges across the United States—who developed a foundation for corequisites by facilitating equity and accessibility for marginalized students—speak to a range of topics and demographics, offering support for instructors and practical advice for improving student success.   The book primarily explores accelerated composition through the lens of two-year colleges to answer a central question in the field: to what extent do educators need to alter two-year college curricular design? The contributors also delve into assessment, a crucial process for instructors and their students transitioning to accelerated learning; the key role that reading plays in the writing process; and noncognitive learning, an area of study that has been associated with accelerated learning since its inception. Together these thirteen chapters provide instructors with a strategic approach to teaching accelerated and corequisite composition.  Teaching Accelerated and Corequisite Composition points toward a new way of approaching first-year composition: a method of instruction that fosters the growth and success of writers who were once considered underprepared for college writing and are now achieving unprecedented success.

Teaching Accelerated and Corequisite Composition is the first book to compile on-the-ground advice and teaching strategies specifically curated for accelerated and corequisite writing courses. Trailblazers in the field from colleges across the United States—who developed a foundation for corequisites by facilitating equity and accessibility for marginalized students—speak to a range of topics and demographics, offering support for instructors and practical advice for improving student success.  The book primarily explores accelerated composition through the lens of two-year colleges to answer a central question in the field: to what extent do educators need to alter two-year college curricular design? The contributors also delve into assessment, a crucial process for instructors and their students transitioning to accelerated learning; the key role that reading plays in the writing process; and noncognitive learning, an area of study that has been associated with accelerated learning since its inception. Together these thirteen chapters provide instructors with a strategic approach to teaching accelerated and corequisite composition.  Teaching Accelerated and Corequisite Composition points toward a new way of approaching first-year composition: a method of instruction that fosters the growth and success of writers who were once considered underprepared for college writing and are now achieving unprecedented success.

On a September afternoon in Santa Barbara, aprivate jet carrying the members of Poor Ghost—one of America’s most storiedrock bands—plunges into the backyard of Caleb Crane, a retired insurance salesman.Poor Ghost moves back and forth between the impact of the plane crash onCaleb’s life, and an oral history of Poor Ghost, from its beginnings as aworking-class punk band to rock icons.

On a September afternoon in Santa Barbara, aprivate jet carrying the members of Poor Ghost—one of America’s most storiedrock bands—plunges into the backyard of Caleb Crane, a retired insurance salesman.Poor Ghost moves back and forth between the impact of the plane crash onCaleb’s life, and an oral history of Poor Ghost, from its beginnings as aworking-class punk band to rock icons.

Few artists canlegitimately claim to have created truly groundbreaking popular music, butTalking Heads is one of them. Like Elvis, the Beatles, Bob Dylan and Radiohead(who took their name from a Talking Heads song), Talking Heads recorded some ofthe most memorable rock and roll of the past seventy-five years. In hissong-by-song discussion of their work, American musician and journalist DavidStarkey looks at how David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison and TinaWeymouth emerged from New York’s mid-1970s punk scene and quickly distinguishedthemselves as innovative musicians. Led by the enigmatic and wildly originalByrne, Talking Heads’ list of classic songs includes ‘Psycho Killer’,’Take Meto the River’, ‘Once in a Lifetime’, ‘Burning Down the House’, ‘This Must Bethe Place (Naive Melody)’, ‘Road to Nowhere’ and ‘(Nothing But) Flowers.’ Twoof their eight albums, More Songs About Buildings And Food and Remain in Light,are listed among Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums. Drawing frequently on first-person accountsfrom members of the band, Starkey brings to life the composition and recordingof each song, pointing out hidden patterns in Byrne’s lyrics and ensuring thateach member of Talking Heads receives credit for their contribution to thisunparalleled body of work.

One of rock and roll's iconic figures, Bruce Springsteen produced his most influential, and many would argue his greatest body of work from 1973 to 1987. During that time, he released eight studio albums, along with the mammoth live album Live/1975-1985. Among these records are five that are included on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle, Darkness on the Edge of Town, Born to Run, Nebraska, and Born in the U.S.A., all of which came out during the period covered by this book.American critic and musician David Starkey takes a deep dive into Springsteen's early catalogue, highlighting the brilliance of Springsteen's writing and composing, his flair for the dramatic, along with his profound commitment to the gruelling lives of working-class people-and occasionally pointing out moments when 'the Boss' isn't quite up to his own high standards. Starkey shares stories from Springsteen and those around him about the songs' creation, and looks closely at the musicians and musicianship that brought Springsteen's vision to life.Finally, Starkey's writing-concise yet wide-ranging, analytic yet witty-brings it all together, telling the familiar story of Bruce Springsteen in an entirely new way.

David Starkey's "A Few Things You Should Know About the Weasel" is a far ranging and fearless collection, of great humour and intelligence and sympathy. Ranging through philosophy and art and history - both global and domestic - these poems skillfully chronicle the darkness that is our current age and condition, and the pinpricks of light that may show us the way out. When a poem called 'Hitler's Art' begins 'I hate to admit it, but he wasn't bad', you know the poet isn't afraid to look at anything. The great philosophers weave in and out of these poems, hand in hand with the great criminals, and David Starkey is a step behind them, missing nothing. There's a dark joy to this book; it's feverish and beautiful, 'a glimmering aria', as one poem says, 'to everything that's yet to go wrong'.

What would the Son-of-Man get up to in present-day Rome? Would he wander the Galleria Borghese, loiter outside nightclubs, ride trams, tip accordionists? How would Keats feel about the neon Dior sign that flashes away above the Spanish Steps? Are there ways to avoid Vespas on the sidewalks? Rules for carving a Pieta? And exactly which painter is responsible for the ugliest Jesus in the history of Western Art? A tour of Rome like no other, the poems of Circus Maximus ask these questions and more. Join David Starkey as he shines a torch on the sights, sounds, mysteries and metaphors of the Eternal City. David Starkey is the former Poet Laureate of Santa Barbara, a senior Fulbright scholar, and a six-time nominee for the Pushcart Prize. His latest volume of poetry is A Few Things You Should Know About the Weasel (Biblioasis, 2010).