The book is aimed at a popular rather than an academic audience. Perhaps it makes me uncomfortable because I do not disagree. His London is ruthless, uncontrollable and indifferent to suffering, its people aggressive, loud, violent and prone to being over-dramatic. This rather uncomplimentary take on a city for which many, myself included, hold in high regard can sometimes feel a little uncomfortable, but Ackroyd is just being frank.

Yet do the rich and poor inhabit the same city? It may be that each citizen has created a London in his or own head, so that the same moment there may exist seven million different cities. It is in fact the very universality of London that establishes these contrasts and separations, it contains every aspect of human life within itself, and is thus perpetually renewed. For Ackroyd, this comes down to commerce he believes that the city’s insatiable progress from the Roman to the modern era has been fuelled by an unquenchable desire for profit. You still get a sense of the drastic changes over the last 2000 years, but rather than one huge description, it feels like Ackroyd is trying to get at some of those essential characteristics that make London London, that give the city its unique London-ness. London: The Biography is arranged thematically rather than chronologically, which I think was a wise decision. But when you accept that the book is a comprehensive social, cultural, political and economic history of one of the oldest and most powerful capital cities still functioning in the world today, 800 pages suddenly doesn’t seem like so much any more.

It is Infinite London.Īt a grand total of 822 pages, Peter Ackroyd’s London: The Biography is not a read to be taken on lightly. contains every wish or word ever spoken, every action or gesture ever made, every harsh or noble statement ever expressed. ‘London: The Biography’ by Peter Ackroyd.Īckroyd, Peter.

Peter ackroyd history of london