Britain's first homegrown existentialist star, he failed to follow up the huge success of his 1956 book, The OutsiderFor a few dazzling months, Colin Wilson, who has died aged 82, was taken at his own valuation in his diary as "the major literary genius of our century", a writer destined to be "Plato's ideal sage and king". The phenomenal reviews and sales of his first book, The Outsider (1956), led him to be seen as a potential saviour of the human spirit, a thinker who might find a way through the spiritual nullity of the postwar years.The book remains extraordinary, more for its reach than its grasp. It was an attempt to map a single, negotiable path of mysticism from the span of recent western art and philosophy. Wilson looked for the path through case studies of the agonies and ecstasies of thinkers, artists and men of action including Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, Ernest Hemingway, Vaslav Nijinsky, Vincent van Gogh, Hermann Hesse and Lawrence of Arabia. He condensed them into a single type, "the Outsider", a questing spirit straddled between devastating experiences of nothingness and moments of the highest insight."Our life in modern society is a repetition of Van Gogh's problem," Wilson said, "the day-to-day struggle for intensity that disappears overnight, interrupted by human triviality and endless pettiness." The book was excitingly written, with a sense of revelation. The failing, which took longer to emerge, was that it oversimplified... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2013-12-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
Britain's first homegrown existentialist star, he failed to follow up the huge success of his 1956 book, The OutsiderFor a few dazzling months, Colin Wilson, who has died aged 82, was taken at his own valuation in his diary as "the major literary genius of our century", a writer destined to be... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2013-12-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Scholarly and academic publisher Colin Jones passed away on March 1, after a bout with Alzheimer's Disease. He was 76. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Prolific author-illustrator Mike Thaler, best known for his many riddle books and his humorous Black Lagoon Adventures series, died on March 23; he was 87. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
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My father, Nick Jacobs, who has died aged 85, was a publisher who brought German writers closer to British readers at a time when there was little interest in doing so. Few have paid attention to the dissemination of German literature in the English-speaking world as much as he did.While in... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-03-27 12:24:19 UTC ]
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French author-illustrator Laurent de Brunhoff, acclaimed for carrying on the legacy of beloved character Babar the elephant, first illustrated by his father Jean, died on March 22; he was 98. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-26 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Accomplished painter and children's book author-illustrator Leonard Everett Fisher, widely known for his atmospheric, realistic artwork in books focused on American and world history and world mythology, died on March 2 at age 99. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Graphic designer whose distinctive typographic work graced Penguin book covers, museum signage and London monumentsPhil Baines, who has died aged 65 of multiple system atrophy, was one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary British graphic design. His work included books, posters, art... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-03-12 15:46:29 UTC ]
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Prolific children's book author Kate Banks, known for prose praised as lyrical, clever, and graceful, died February 24 in Switzerland, following a long illness; she was 64. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-05 05:00:00 UTC ]
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By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) The British author Colin Dexter (1930-2017) is responsible for creating one of the most iconic fictional detectives: Endeavour Morse, known to millions around the world as ‘Inspector Morse’ (although Morse was always, in fact, already a Chief... Continue reading at Interesting Literature
[ Interesting Literature | 2024-02-28 15:00:05 UTC ]
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Award-winning author-illustrator Petra Mathers, known for her naive-flavored pencil and watercolor artwork, died on February 6; she was 78. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-27 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Esteemed children's editor Dinah Stevenson, lauded for being a keen spotter of talent and for shepherding numerous books and authors to the industry's highest accolades, died on January 23 at 81. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-01 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Children's author, educator, and free speech champion Robie Harris, best known for her stories about young children's powerful emotions and her frequently challenged and banned books on human sexuality, including 'It's Perfectly Normal,' died on January 6 at 83. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-18 05:00:00 UTC ]
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My friend Caroline Gilfillan, who has died aged 71, was a multitalented musician, novelist and poet with a vibrant and adventurous spirit.Her poems won awards, including a Yeovil literary prize in 2019. She published four collections, including Pepys in 2012 and Yes in 2010, which won best... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-10-31 17:19:12 UTC ]
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My father, Tim Harland, who has died unexpectedly aged 65, was co-founder with my mother, Maddy, of Permanent Publications, a publishing company that specialises in books on permaculture, which is an innovative approach to regenerative land management, sustainable lifestyles and communities.From... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-10-22 11:10:09 UTC ]
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My father, Michael Leapman, who has died aged 85, was a Fleet Street journalist whose 60-year career spanned war reporting, editing the diary column of the Times and writing about his Brixton allotment. His 18 books include biographies of Rupert Murdoch (Barefaced Cheek, 1983) and Neil Kinnock... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-10-20 11:34:51 UTC ]
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Acclaimed children's author Janet Taylor Lisle, lauded for her novels featuring complex characters in stories blending everyday life with elements of mystery and magic, died on October 5 in Boston. She was 76. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Award-winning, versatile, and prolific children's author Eve Bunting died on October 1 in Santa Cruz, Calif. She was 94. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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