Professor Peter Royle was born in Coventry, England in 1934, the only son of James and Doris Royle. He received a Masters degree from Oxford University and a PhD from the University of Natal.
A scholar whose research focused on the existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, Professor Royle taught in the French and Philosophy Departments at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario from 1969 to 1996. He wrote many books, articles, plays, and short stories; a few of these include: L'Enfer et la liberté: Étude de "Huis clos" et des "Mouches" (1973); The Sartre-Camus Controversy. A literary and philosophical critique (1982); L’homme et le néant chez Jean-Paul Sartre (2005); and The Kaffir Killer, a black comedy (2010). The Kaffir Killer was earlier read twice as a radio play on BBC Radio 3 in 1971 and performed in theatres in 1982 and 1986. After retiring from Trent University, Professor Royle, together with his life partner Maren Thomas, lived in Germany and England. He died in England in 2017 and is survived by Maren Thomas and his two daughters, Eleanor Royle and Frances Royle (Roger Brush), both of Halifax, Nova Scotia.