In brief
Frederic Michael Raphael (born 14 August 1931) is an American-born British novelist, screenwriter, biographer, and essayist of Jewish descent. Born in Chicago to an American mother and English father, he relocated to England in 1938 and was educated at Charterhouse School and St John's College, Cambridge. Raphael gained prominence with his debut novel Obligato in 1956 and achieved critical acclaim for screenplays including the satirical Nothing but the Best (1964) and the Oscar-winning Darling (1965), which satirized swinging London society. His later works encompass the television series The Glittering Prizes (1976), adaptations like Eyes Wide Shut (1999) for Stanley Kubrick, and memoirs such as Eyes Wide Open (1999), which drew criticism from Kubrick's associates for its candid portrayal of their collaboration. Raphael's oeuvre, spanning over two dozen novels and translations of classical texts, reflects a recurring theme of disillusionment with modern culture and personal ambition.
Frederic Raphael was born on August 14, 1931, in Chicago, Illinois, to Cedric Michael Raphael, a British Jew employed in the oil industry, and Irene Rose Raphael (née Mauser), an American Jew. His father's career with Shell necessitated frequent relocations, reflecting a pragmatic, business-driven family ethos rooted in economic opportunity rather than ideological pursuits. Raphael's mother, born in Kansas City, Missouri, and raised in a Midwestern American context, brought influences of secular urban Jewish life, having moved to Chicago as a young woman.
