John Corley was born in 1943 in Somerset, UK. He worked as a lorry driver’s mate and technical translator in the aviation industry before becoming a quantity surveyor (building economist). He carried out this role for most of his career, finishing as a contract manager, having worked and lived in the UK, South Africa, and Belgium.
In 1997, he started working on an MBA (Bath), followed by an MPhil (Cranfield) and BA (Northampton). Corley gained a DBA and a PhD in Management, both in Switzerland.
He married Ruth Hartley, a painter and writer, and they travelled around Europe, covering 30,000 km and 27 countries. They settled into a village in Southwest France.
After editing all 10 of Hartley’s books, John decided to do an MA in English Literature at Unicaf University in Zambia.
Corley is currently in Lusaka to visit his Zambian family and attend his MA graduation at Unicaf on 15 October. While in Zambia, he is also undertaking preliminary research for his PhD in English Literature.
Corley will give a seminar based on his research on Tuesday 13 October from 15:00 to 17:00 at the Henry Tayali Art Gallery. The seminar will examine how local publishing economics and the migration of authors abroad create a disconnect between writers and their subjects.
Corley will unpack the ongoing influence of colonial perspectives, the tension between writing for local versus foreign audiences, and the unique challenge of capturing authentic precolonial oral traditions in written forms.
Readers, writers, publishers, and academics are invited to share their insights on these critical themes.
Entry is free and all are welcome for an afternoon of reflection with John Corley, DipMan, BA, MBA, MA, MPhil, PhD, DBA, FRSA.
Topic: Crisis of Identity in Postcolonial Writing
Date: Tuesday 13 October 2026
Time: 15:00–17:00 hrs
Venue: Henry Tayali Art Gallery
Address: Lion Lane Street, Lusaka Showgrounds
Seminar queries: +260977954869 (Anna Zgambo, Licensed Arts Promoter)
