Skip to main content
Patrick Wright FBA

Patrick Wright FBA

Emeritus Professor of Literature, History and Politics

Research interests

  • History
  • Literature
  • Politics

Biography

Professor Patrick Wright joined King’s in September 2011, having previously been Professor of Modern Cultural Studies at Nottingham Trent University and, from 2004, a fellow of the London Consortium. Before 2000, Professor Wright lived for many years as a self-employed writer. While researching and writing books, he also worked as a journalist (including a five-year spell as a feature writer with the Guardian), and as a broadcaster, writing and presenting radio and television documentaries for the BBC and Channel Four. These included a four-part television history of the Thames (“The River”, BBC2, 1999). Patrick also presented BBC Radio Three’s Arts programme “Night Waves” over a period of approximately five years.

Patrick has written about the changing concept of heritage, the idea of China as it has featured in the British imagination, the literary origins and symbolic powers of the tank, and the development of the “Iron Curtain” as a divisive political metaphor that actually started out in the theatre. His latest book, The Sea View Has Me Again: Uwe Johnson in Sheerness (December 2020) was researched during his six years at King’s and written in the wake of the Brexit referendum of 2016.

Selected publications

The Sea View Has Me Again: Uwe Johnson in Sheerness Wright P. 2020, London: Repeater Books, 733 p.

    Research

    SMHC newlogo 780x440
    Sir Michael Howard Centre for the History of War

    The centre promotes the scholarly history of war in all it's dimensions, trains research students and hosts research projects and conferences

    academic books
    King's Contemporary British History

    The study of Contemporary British History goes back to the 1960s, and was consolidated with the establishment of the Institute of Contemporary British History in 1985 by (Sir) Anthony Seldon and (Lord) Peter Hennessy. The Institute moved to King’s College London in 2010, and the new King’s Contemporary British History builds on this by creating a larger and more diverse enterprise, building on that distinguished tradition.

    News

    Second season of Patrick Wright's Brexit documentary 'The English Fix' premieres on BBC Radio 4

    What is Englishness, and what has the English identity to do with Brexit? Professor Patrick Wright explores the development of Englishness from the 19th...

    Professor Patrick Wright

    Professor Patrick Wright explores English identity and Brexit in new BBC Radio 4 series

    What is Englishness, and what has the English identity to do with Brexit? Professor Patrick Wright explores the development of Englishness from the 19th...

    Professor Patrick Wright

    Professor Patrick Wright receives honorary degree from University of Kent

    Congratulations to Professor Patrick Wright who was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Kent

    Professor Patrick Wright

    Professor Patrick Wright awarded £46K Leverhulme Research Fellowship

    Congratulations to Professor Patrick Wright, who has been awarded a Leverhulme Research Fellowship for his project, Learning from Sheppey: place, culture and...

    Dots

    Uwe Johnson's secret life

    Professor Patrick Wright will appear on BBC Radio 3 on Sunday with a programme that uncovers the little-known story of German poet Uwe Johnson's relocation to...

    Sherness

    Events

    10NovStuart Leech image (Hole in barbed wire)

    Identity and belonging at the frayed edge of England

    Part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science, Phil Hubbard (author of Borderland: identity and belonging at the edge of England) and Patrick Wright (author of...

    Please note: this event has passed.

      Research

      SMHC newlogo 780x440
      Sir Michael Howard Centre for the History of War

      The centre promotes the scholarly history of war in all it's dimensions, trains research students and hosts research projects and conferences

      academic books
      King's Contemporary British History

      The study of Contemporary British History goes back to the 1960s, and was consolidated with the establishment of the Institute of Contemporary British History in 1985 by (Sir) Anthony Seldon and (Lord) Peter Hennessy. The Institute moved to King’s College London in 2010, and the new King’s Contemporary British History builds on this by creating a larger and more diverse enterprise, building on that distinguished tradition.

      News

      Second season of Patrick Wright's Brexit documentary 'The English Fix' premieres on BBC Radio 4

      What is Englishness, and what has the English identity to do with Brexit? Professor Patrick Wright explores the development of Englishness from the 19th...

      Professor Patrick Wright

      Professor Patrick Wright explores English identity and Brexit in new BBC Radio 4 series

      What is Englishness, and what has the English identity to do with Brexit? Professor Patrick Wright explores the development of Englishness from the 19th...

      Professor Patrick Wright

      Professor Patrick Wright receives honorary degree from University of Kent

      Congratulations to Professor Patrick Wright who was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Kent

      Professor Patrick Wright

      Professor Patrick Wright awarded £46K Leverhulme Research Fellowship

      Congratulations to Professor Patrick Wright, who has been awarded a Leverhulme Research Fellowship for his project, Learning from Sheppey: place, culture and...

      Dots

      Uwe Johnson's secret life

      Professor Patrick Wright will appear on BBC Radio 3 on Sunday with a programme that uncovers the little-known story of German poet Uwe Johnson's relocation to...

      Sherness

      Events

      10NovStuart Leech image (Hole in barbed wire)

      Identity and belonging at the frayed edge of England

      Part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science, Phil Hubbard (author of Borderland: identity and belonging at the edge of England) and Patrick Wright (author of...

      Please note: this event has passed.