A Day Like Today by John Humphrys review – 'I like arguing'

The combative broadcaster’s memoir mixes engaging snapshots of his early career with some score-settling and a robust defence of his interviewing styleJohn Humphrys is the first to admit he doesn’t deal well with authority. He inherited it from his father, who refused to use the service entrance at the grand houses where he worked as a French polisher and, as a child, once watched his aunt get a humiliating dressing-down from the vicar for missing church. Humphrys had his own brush with condescending authority figures when he was in hospital with a cyst on his spine at 13, and an “arrogant posh bastard consultant” told his retinue of trainees it was because he didn’t wash regularly. “I don’t like being defined or told what to do, whoever is in charge,” he notes, a stance that has proved useful for grilling politicians (he has interviewed eight prime ministers), though it has also landed him in hot water.His memoir mixes engaging snapshots of his early career and analysis of the evolution of broadcasting with diatribes and petty score-settling. The early chapters tell of his passage from teen lackey on the Penarth Times in Wales, where his main task was standing outside the local church taking the names of those attending weddings and funerals, to being the first journalist on the scene at the Aberfan disaster, near Merthyr Tydfil, in which 116 children and 28 adults died after a colliery tip collapsed. Later he became a BBC foreign correspondent, reporting on the 1971 war... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2019-10-10 06:30:10 UTC ]

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“Spare,” Reviewed: The Haunting of Prince Harry

Electrified by outrage—and elevated by a gifted ghostwriter—his blockbuster memoir “Spare” exposes more than Harry’s enemies. Continue reading at New Yorker

[ New Yorker | 2023-01-13 11:00:00 UTC ]
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“Spare,” Reviewed: The Haunting of Prince Harry

Electrified by outrage—and elevated by a gifted ghostwriter—his blockbuster memoir “Spare” exposes more than Harry’s enemies. Continue reading at New Yorker

[ New Yorker | 2023-01-13 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Despite leaks, Prince Harry’s memoir is the UK’s fastest selling nonfiction title ever.

You don’t really have to do much at this point to absorb passages from Prince Harry’s public therapy tell-all trauma dump, Spare. So much of what’s in the book has already appeared in interviews, profiles and, thanks to a very aggressive British press, as actual text on the internet. Despite the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-01-12 15:22:07 UTC ]
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Is Harry the next James Corden? The prince’s TV appearances, in order of greatness

After a week of major TV stand-offs – some with added tequila shots – the spare to the throne hasn’t stumbled. He’s a smooth operator … and truly his mother’s sonKing Charles, as the Prince of Wales, gave one TV interview (on ITV in 1994). Diana, Princess of Wales (on BBC One, 1995) and HRH... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-12 14:46:33 UTC ]
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Prince Harry’s memoir Spare shifts more than 1.4m copies in a day

The much-anticipated account of the troubled prince’s life has broken publisher’s previous record for first-day sales in the UK, US and CanadaPrince Harry’s memoir sold 1,430,000 copies on its first day on sale in the US, Canada and the UK combined, according to the book’s publisher Penguin... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-12 13:44:46 UTC ]
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34 Of Prince Harry's Bombshells From His 'Spare' Interviews

The Duke of Sussex's media tour for his tell-all memoir has contained yet more insight into his life as a royal. Continue reading at HuffPost

[ HuffPost | 2023-01-12 10:00:08 UTC ]
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Todger, Tiggy, Biro and Spike: A glossary of Harry's Britishisms for 'Spare' readers

If you're reading Prince Harry's memoir 'Spare' and wondering what a biro is, here's a master list of the schools, nicknames and body parts you need to know. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-01-12 00:41:17 UTC ]
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Prince Harry’s ‘Spare’ Memoir Breaks Sales Records

The steady drumbeat of revelations that preceded the book’s release helped push early orders and initial sales, making “Spare,” on its first day, one of the best-selling hardcover books in recent memory. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-01-11 22:07:48 UTC ]
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‘Spare,’ by Prince Harry: Book Review

At once emotional and embittered, the royal memoir is mired in a paradox: drawing endless attention in an effort to renounce fame. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-01-10 21:07:46 UTC ]
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Prince Harry’s autobiography Spare is UK’s fastest-selling nonfiction book

The memoir, which includes claims Prince William attacked him, records figures of 400,000 on its first day Prince Harry’s autobiography has become the UK’s fastest-selling nonfiction book ever, recording figures of 400,000 on its first day on sale.The controversial memoir Spare has made... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-10 19:17:17 UTC ]
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It’s Prince Harry in One Flew Over The Windsors’ Nest. Just pity those he left behind | Marina Hyde

The book is out and as the royal gone awol speaks his truth, you have to ask: if this is Britain’s first family, what are the others like? Day 127 of J.Crew Hamlet and Prince Harry’s memoir has finally dropped. It needed to. I feel like I’ve had babies I’ve been less organised for than this... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-10 12:12:55 UTC ]
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Prince Harry’s memoir hits No 1 on Amazon, predicted to be one of year’s bestsellers

Spare is already the UK’s top-selling title a day ahead of publication, with high-street retailers expecting sustained interest in the royal psychodramaPrince Harry’s Spare is currently the No 1 in the UK Amazon bestseller charts and among the biggest pre-order titles for high-street retailers,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-09 17:46:20 UTC ]
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Prince Harry defends tell-all memoir in furious ITV interview

King, queen consort and Prince William all criticised as Harry says silence ‘allows the abuser to abuse’Harry: The Interview review – so horribly sad it could have turned the Queen anti-monarchyPrince Harry launched a broadside at the king, the queen consort, his brother and other royals in a... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-09 01:55:15 UTC ]
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In his own write: Prince Harry’s ghostwriter is so famous that George Clooney made a film of his life

JR Moehringer, biographer to stars such as Andre Agassi and a doyen of the genre, was an obvious choice for the Duke of SussexWhen Prince Harry chose to work with ghostwriter JR Moehringer on his institution-shaking memoir, Spare, he was not taking half measures. The American writer and Pulitzer... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-07 18:42:05 UTC ]
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What’s in Prince Harry’s memoir Spare? Here’s all we know so far

Duke of Sussex writes about tussles with his brother, that Nazi uniform, his mother’s death, and losing his virginityThe Duke of Sussex’s tell-all memoir Spare is not sparing in its extraordinary revelations. After it went on sale in Spain ahead of official publication, excerpts have dominated... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-06 15:12:39 UTC ]
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Why Travel Writing is a Form of Memoir and How Covid Has Changed How We See the World

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Pico Iyer, the author of The Half Known Life: In Search... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-01-06 09:52:43 UTC ]
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Book Deals: Week of January 9, 2023

Random House buys a memoir from Ketanji Brown Jackson, Katee Robert sells the first three in a series to Berkley, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-06 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Did the heir physically attack the spare? That's what Prince Harry alleges in memoir

'It all happened so fast,' Prince Harry writes in an excerpt from his forthcoming memoir about a 2019 argument he allegedly had with Prince William. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-01-05 21:00:28 UTC ]
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Prince Harry tell-all memoir does not bode well for reconciliation hopes

Netflix series, memoir and ITV interview reveal Harry has ammunition on William and is prepared to use itIf the Duke of Sussex’s hopes are for an early reconciliation with his family, his wishes seem unlikely to be fulfilled any time soon, judging from extracts published from his tell-all... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-05 15:18:24 UTC ]
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Prince Harry claims in upcoming memoir that William physically attacked him during argument

Prince Harry alleges in a much-anticipated new memoir that his brother, Prince William, lashed out and physically attacked him during a furious argument over the brothers' deteriorating relationship, The Guardian reported Monday. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2023-01-05 11:54:52 UTC ]
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