Literary editor and chief book reviewer of the Times who later joined the Observer as its theatre criticMichael Ratcliffe, who has died aged 89, was the former theatre critic of the Observer. He was one of the last of the “man of letters” breed of journalist who encompassed all the arts, with experience, erudition and a regard for the great tradition, especially in Europe, but an open, expansive and always analytical attitude to innovation.Most of his work was that of a literary editor and critic. When I read his reviews as chief book reviewer on the Times for a decade in the 1970s, I could not believe there was one person writing these extraordinary short essays across every topic, week in, week out. In this respect, he was a latter-day Philip Toynbee, or Anthony Burgess. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2025-03-25 17:34:14 UTC ]
From cod to colouring, fashions come and go in books. What do they tell us about our culture, and can we predict what’s next? After the long, wet winter, the season is finally on the turn. I know this partly because the instinct to hunker down in a nest of books is giving way to an urge to... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Acclaimed art historian and writer Iain Pears is chairing the judging panel for the £10,000 Desmond Elliott Prize 2016. He will be joined by journalist and c.e.o. of website The Pool, Sam Baker, and the literary editor of the Independent on Sunday, Katy Guest. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
It has been a bit more than nine years since David Foster Wallace delivered “Federer as Religious Experience,” the Magna Carta of what has become one of the most popular genres in sports journalism: the Roger Federer think piece. The now-classic essay, penned for the short-lived New York Times... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2015-09-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
If we add an alert to one review, what about the others? Readers have different sensitivities; who is to say which details may spoil a book for any one of them?Readers hate spoilers, and one of the sacred duties of the literary editor is to make sure they don’t happen – or if they do, that... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
A memorial service for Ion Trewin, who died earlier this year after a battle with cancer, is to be held in the autumn. Trewin, who was literary director of the Booker Prize Foundation, passed away on 8th April. Formerly literary editor of the Times, Trewin then worked at Weidenfeld &... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-07-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
When it comes to high-calibre non-fiction, risk-averse trade publishing houses are producing too many copycat ‘smart thinking’ books that promise more than they deliver. But praise should be given to the university pressesAmid the ambient wails of doom about the publishing industry, I’d like to... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Josh Spero, author of Second Hand Stories and editor of Spear's Magazine, and the author Erica Wagner, a former literary editor of the Times mull the question of high tech and old books. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2014-10-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Literary world praises Miller for his intelligence, wit and literary acumen, and lasting pride in his Scottish rootsKarl Miller, founding editor of the London Review of Books, critic and award-winning author, has died, aged 83.After stints as literary editor of both the Spectator and the New... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-09-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Author of Morrissey Dr Gavin Hopps and former literary editor of The Times Erica Wagner, discuss the decision made by Penguin to classify Morrissey's new autobiography as a classic. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2013-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
An exhibition to mark the 50th anniversary of the Anthony Burgess novel A Clockwork Orange opens... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-08-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this