Collection: Robert Conquest

Malvern born Robert Conquest is 95 years old. A former Oxford communist, he wrote poetry that was praised by Philip Larkin and - together with Larkin, Kingsley Amis, Thom Gunn and others - was a leading member of the so-called Movement. After distinguished service in WWII he became a diplomat and, then, a historian of international renown. Having repented of his communism, he also did a stint as Margaret Thatcher’s speechwriter. He has a BA and an MA in politics, philosophy and economics, and a D.Litt. in Soviet History. He lives in California, where he has long worked as a research fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution.