Derek Parker
Encyclopedia
Derek Parker is a British
writer and broadcaster. He is the author of numerous works on literature, ballet, and opera, and with his wife Julia of several books about astrology.
, Cornwall
, and educated at Fowey
Grammar School (1941–49). He worked as reporter with The Cornishman
(Penzance
) (1949–55) then as drama critic with The Western Morning News
(Plymouth
) (1956–70). Subsequently he worked as writer, announcer and interviewer with TWW
(Independent Television, Cardiff) being the first face to be seen at its opening transmission, then as freelance writer and broadcaster for BBC
radio and television, reading the news from Alexandra Palace
and broadcasting from Portland Place. He was a drama script advisor to ABC Television
. During the 1960s and 1970s he wrote and introduced innumerable radio programmes about the arts, including series about the ballet and opera, and features on individual artists, interviewing among others Tamara Karsavina
and Margot Fonteyn
, Boris Christoff
and Maggie Teyte
. He introduced long-running series both for BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service, such as The Poem Itself
and The Paperback Programme. He reviewed non-fiction and television for The Times
, was a columnist for The Listener
, and contributed to The Spectator
. He reviewed for The Good Book Guide from its opening issue until 2002.
He was author with his wife (astrologer Julia Parker) of The Compleat Astrologer (1971), the first popular modern textbook of astrology
, which sold over a million copies in fourteen languages. This has been followed by a number of other books about astrology, including 2001's Parkers' Astrology. In The Question of Astrology (1970) Parker examined modern attitudes to the subject, quoting the views of many authorities both approving and disapproving of it. During the same year he discussed astrology in a radio programme with Dr Jonathan Miller
, Michel Gauquelin
and others. This was the first BBC programme to cover astrology from the point of view of both supporters and sceptics; previous coverage had been largely sceptical. Both he and his wife have lectured on astrology in Europe, the Americas and Australia. They migrated to Australia in 2002.
Parker has been editor of Poetry Review and of The Author; Chairman, Society of Authors
(1981–82) and member of its Grand Council; member of the Grand Council of the Royal Academy of Dance
; member of the General Committee, Royal Literary Fund
(1969–2002) (as Registrar 1977-2002). He regularly introduces programmes of classical music for 2MBS-FM, a Sydney
radio station broadcasting on the Web from 2MBS.com
In collaboration with Julia Parker
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
writer and broadcaster. He is the author of numerous works on literature, ballet, and opera, and with his wife Julia of several books about astrology.
Biography
He was born in LooeLooe
Looe is a small coastal town, fishing port and civil parish in the former Caradon district of south-east Cornwall, England, with a population of 5,280 . Looe is divided in two by the River Looe, East Looe and West Looe being connected by a bridge...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, and educated at Fowey
Fowey
Fowey is a small town, civil parish and cargo port at the mouth of the River Fowey in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,273.-Early history:...
Grammar School (1941–49). He worked as reporter with The Cornishman
The Cornishman
The Cornishman is a weekly newspaper based in Penzance, Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is published every Thursday.It formerly had a separate edition to cover the Isles of Scilly. However, it now just has one edition which covers the whole of the Penwith peninsula as well as the Isles of Scilly.It is...
(Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
) (1949–55) then as drama critic with The Western Morning News
Western Morning News
The Western Morning News is a politically independent daily regional newspaper founded in 1860 and covering Devon and Cornwall and parts of Somerset and Dorset.-Organisation:...
(Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
) (1956–70). Subsequently he worked as writer, announcer and interviewer with TWW
TWW
TWW may refer to:* Television Wales and the West, a commercial television contractor serving Wales and England from 1958-1968* TheWolfWeb, an internet message board for students at North Carolina State University...
(Independent Television, Cardiff) being the first face to be seen at its opening transmission, then as freelance writer and broadcaster for BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio and television, reading the news from Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace is a building in North London, England. It stands in Alexandra Park, in an area between Hornsey, Muswell Hill and Wood Green...
and broadcasting from Portland Place. He was a drama script advisor to ABC Television
ABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
. During the 1960s and 1970s he wrote and introduced innumerable radio programmes about the arts, including series about the ballet and opera, and features on individual artists, interviewing among others Tamara Karsavina
Tamara Karsavina
Tamara Platonovna Karsavina was a famous Russian ballerina, renowned for her beauty, who was most noted as a Principal Artist of the Imperial Russian Ballet and later the Ballets Russes of Serge Diaghilev...
and Margot Fonteyn
Margot Fonteyn
Dame Margot Fonteyn de Arias, DBE , was an English ballerina of the 20th century. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest classical ballet dancers of all time...
, Boris Christoff
Boris Christoff
Boris Christoff was a Bulgarian opera singer...
and Maggie Teyte
Maggie Teyte
Dame Maggie Teyte DBE was an English operatic soprano and interpreter of French art song.-Early years:Margaret Tate was born in Wolverhampton, England, one of ten children of Jacob James Tate, a successful wine and spirit merchant and proprietor of public houses and later lodgings. Her parents...
. He introduced long-running series both for BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service, such as The Poem Itself
The Poem Itself
The Poem Itself was series of radio programmes broadcast on the BBC World Service during the 1980s in which a literary critic and a guest not particularly expert in literature discussed a particular poem with chairman Derek Parker....
and The Paperback Programme. He reviewed non-fiction and television for The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, was a columnist for The Listener
The Listener
The Listener was a weekly magazine established by the BBC in January 1929 which ceased publication in 1991. The entire digitised catalogue was made available online to libraries, educational and research institutions in 2011....
, and contributed to The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
. He reviewed for The Good Book Guide from its opening issue until 2002.
He was author with his wife (astrologer Julia Parker) of The Compleat Astrologer (1971), the first popular modern textbook of astrology
Astrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
, which sold over a million copies in fourteen languages. This has been followed by a number of other books about astrology, including 2001's Parkers' Astrology. In The Question of Astrology (1970) Parker examined modern attitudes to the subject, quoting the views of many authorities both approving and disapproving of it. During the same year he discussed astrology in a radio programme with Dr Jonathan Miller
Jonathan Miller
Sir Jonathan Wolfe Miller CBE is a British theatre and opera director, author, physician, television presenter, humorist and sculptor. Trained as a physician in the late 1950s, he first came to prominence in the 1960s with his role in the comedy revue Beyond the Fringe with fellow writers and...
, Michel Gauquelin
Michel Gauquelin
Michel Gauquelin was a French psychologist and statistician. Along with his first wife Françoise Schneider-Gauquelin , he conducted statistical research in an attempt to develop a scientific basis for astrology.-Early interest:Although he was highly critical of certain areas of the art, Gauquelin...
and others. This was the first BBC programme to cover astrology from the point of view of both supporters and sceptics; previous coverage had been largely sceptical. Both he and his wife have lectured on astrology in Europe, the Americas and Australia. They migrated to Australia in 2002.
Parker has been editor of Poetry Review and of The Author; Chairman, Society of Authors
Society of Authors
The Society of Authors is a trade union for professional writers that was founded in 1884 to protect the rights of writers and fight to retain those rights .It has counted amongst its members and presidents numerous notable writers and poets including Tennyson The Society of Authors (UK) is a...
(1981–82) and member of its Grand Council; member of the Grand Council of the Royal Academy of Dance
Royal Academy of Dance
The Royal Academy of Dance is an international dance education and training organization, and examination board that specialises in the teaching and technique of Ballet. The RAD was established in London, England in 1920 as the Association of Operatic Dancing of Great Britain, and received its...
; member of the General Committee, Royal Literary Fund
Royal Literary Fund
The Royal Literary Fund is a benevolent fund set up to help published British writers in financial difficulties. It was founded by Reverend David Williams in 1790 and has received bequests and donations, including royal patronage, ever since...
(1969–2002) (as Registrar 1977-2002). He regularly introduces programmes of classical music for 2MBS-FM, a Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
radio station broadcasting on the Web from 2MBS.com
As sole author
- The Fall of Phaethon (1954)
- Beyond Wisdom (verse play, 1957)
- Byron and his World (1968)
- The Twelfth Rose (ballet libretto, 1969)
- The Question of Astrology (1970)
- The Westcountry (1973)
- John DonneJohn DonneJohn Donne 31 March 1631), English poet, satirist, lawyer, and priest, is now considered the preeminent representative of the metaphysical poets. His works are notable for their strong and sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs,...
and his World (1975) - Familiar to All: William LillyWilliam LillyWilliam Lilly , was an English astrologer famed during his time. Lilly was particularly adept at interpreting the astrological charts drawn up for horary questions, as this was his speciality....
and 17th century astrology (1975) - Radio: the great years (1977)
- The Westcountry and the Sea (1980)
- The Memoirs of Cora PearlCora PearlCora Pearl was a famous courtesan of the 19th century French demimonde, born Emma Elizabeth Crouch.- Early life :Her date and place of birth are disputed, as she was believed to have forged her birth certificate, giving the date as 23 February 1842, and the place as Caroline Place, East...
(1983, fiction, as William Blatchford) - The Eros Series of 15 erotic novels, published anonymously (1988–94)
- God of the Dance: Vaslav NijinskyVaslav NijinskyVaslav Nijinsky was a Russian ballet dancer and choreographer of Polish descent, cited as the greatest male dancer of the 20th century. He grew to be celebrated for his virtuosity and for the depth and intensity of his characterizations...
(1988) - The Trade of Angels (1988, fiction)
- The Royal Academy of Dancing: the first 75 years (1995)
- Writing Erotic Fiction (1995)
- Nell GwynNell GwynEleanor "Nell" Gwyn was a long-time mistress of King Charles II of England. Called "pretty, witty Nell" by Samuel Pepys, she has been regarded as a living embodiment of the spirit of Restoration England and has come to be considered a folk heroine, with a story echoing the rags-to-royalty tale of...
(2000) - Roman Murder Mystery: the true story of Pompilia (2001)
- Casanova (2002)
- Cellini (2004)
- VoltaireVoltaireFrançois-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
(2005) - The Trampled Wife: the scandalous life of Mary Eleanor Bowes (2006)
- Outback: the discovery of Australia's interior (2007)
- Banjo PatersonBanjo PatersonAndrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson, OBE was an Australian bush poet, journalist and author. He wrote many ballads and poems about Australian life, focusing particularly on the rural and outback areas, including the district around Binalong, New South Wales where he spent much of his childhood...
: the man who wrote Waltzing MatildaWaltzing Matilda"Waltzing Matilda" is Australia's most widely known bush ballad. A country folk song, the song has been referred to as "the unofficial national anthem of Australia"....
(2009) - Arthur PhillipArthur PhillipAdmiral Arthur Phillip RN was a British admiral and colonial administrator. Phillip was appointed Governor of New South Wales, the first European colony on the Australian continent, and was the founder of the settlement which is now the city of Sydney.-Early life and naval career:Arthur Phillip...
: Australia's first Governor (2010) - Governor Macquarie: his life, times and revolutionary vision for Australia (2010)
As joint author
In collaboration with Paul Casimir- Company of Two (1955)
In collaboration with Julia Parker
- The Compleat Astrologer (1971)
- The Compleat Lover (1972)
- Derek and Julia Parker's Love Signs (1973)
- The Compleat Astrologers' Love Signs (1974)
- The Immortals (1976)
- The Story and the Song: British musical comedy, (1979)
- How do you Know Who you Are? (1980)
- Do It Yourself Health (1982)
- A History of Astrology (1983)
- The New Compleat Astrologer (1984)
- Dreaming (1985)
- Life Signs (1986)
- A Traveller's Guide to Egypt (1986)
- The Future Now (1988)
- A Traveller's Guide to Cyprus (1989)
- A World Atlas of the Supernatural (1990)
- The Secret World of your Dreams (1990)
- Parkers' Astrology (1991)
- The Power of Magic (1992)
- The Sun and Moon Signs Library (1992)
- Face Facts (1993)
- The Complete Book of Dreams (1995)
- Love Signs (1996)
- Parkers' Astrology Pack (1997)
- Parkers' Prediction Pack (1998)
- The KISS Guide to Astrology (2000)
- The Companion Guide to Astrology (2008)
- Parkers' Encyclopedia of Astrology (2010)
As editor
- Poetry Review (1966–70)
- Selected Letters of Edith SitwellEdith SitwellDame Edith Louisa Sitwell DBE was a British poet and critic.-Background:Edith Sitwell was born in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, the oldest child and only daughter of Sir George Sitwell, 4th Baronet, of Renishaw Hall; he was an expert on genealogy and landscaping...
(1970, with John LehmannJohn LehmannRudolf John Frederick Lehmann was an English poet and man of letters, and one of the foremost literary editors of the twentieth century, founding the periodicals New Writing and The London Magazine.The fourth child of journalist Rudolph Lehmann, and brother of Helen Lehmann, novelist Rosamond...
) - The Author (1974–2002)
- Sacheverell SitwellSacheverell SitwellSir Sacheverell Sitwell, 6th Baronet CH was an English writer, best known as an art critic and writer on architecture, particularly the baroque. He was the younger brother of Dame Edith Sitwell and Sir Osbert Sitwell....
: a symposium (1975) - An Anthology of Erotic Verse (1980)
- An Anthology of Erotic Prose (1981)
- Love Confessed (1983)
- The Kings of England (1995)