Polly Toynbee: what my privileged start in life taught me about the British class system

It wasn’t just luck that steered the Guardian columnist to Oxford and into a media career ... She reflects on the subtle mechanics of class (and an early encounter with a naked future PM)Children know. They breathe it in early, for there’s no unknowing the difference between nannies, cleaners, below-stairs people and the family upstairs. Children are the go-betweens, one foot in each world, and yet they know very well from the earliest age where they belong, where their destiny lies or, to put it crudely, who pays whom. Tiny hands are steeped young in the essence of class and caste. In nursery school, in reception they see the Harry Potter sorting hat at work. They know. And all through school those fine gradations grow clearer, more precise, more consciously knowing, more shaming, more frightening. Good liberal parents teach their children to check their privilege – useful modern phrase – but it swells up like a bubo on the nose. There’s no hiding it.I can summon up the childhood shame at class embarrassments. Aged seven like me, Maureen, with her hair pinned sideways in a pink slide, lived in a pebble-dashed council house by the water tower. They were at the other end of Lindsey, more hamlet than village, half a mile down the road from my father’s pink thatched cottage set in the flat prairie lands of Suffolk, where I spent half my time, the other half in London, shuttling between divorced parents. I envied Maureen for what looked to me like a cheerful large family... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2023-05-20 12:00:56 UTC ]
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Universal credit could silence working-class writers, MPs told

All-party inquiry into authors’ incomes hears new benefit’s rules could mean only the wealthy will write. Meanwhile booksellers welcomed budget business-rate changesMPs have been warned that the rollout of universal credit championed in Monday’s budget will further undermine professional... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-10-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers on the Rebound: Alternative Channels Show Life After Facebook

The launch of Facebook’s News Feed in 2006 opened an entirely new door for news outlets and lifestyle publishers who jumped at the chance to distribute content, grow audience reach and increase engagement through this new outlet. And, the best part: it was completely free. It was a perfect... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2018-10-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook cracks down on ‘dark ads’ by British political groups

Social network hopes launch of transparency tools will restore trust after series of scandalsFacebook will no longer allow British political groups to publish “dark ads” on its network, in an attempt to restore public trust after the Cambridge Analytica scandal and questions over its influence... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Folio: Honors the 2018 Class of Rising Stars

NEW YORK — Over 40 up-and-coming publishing professionals were honored at Folio:’s Rising Stars Awards Luncheon at the New York Hilton Midtown on Tuesday. The Rising Star Honorees are individuals who are making their mark and disrupting the status quo of magazine media, even in the early stages... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2018-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair 2018: The Audio Boom is Real, Global, and Just Getting Started

At the Frankfurt Book Fair’s inaugural Audiobook Conference on Wednesday, experts told attendees that the audio book is indeed a global trend with more growth to come. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Richard Charkin: How (Not) To Start a Publishing Company, a Case Study

'What I hadn’t anticipated was just how difficult it is to start a publishing business,' writes Richard Charkin in a Frankfurt installment of his exclusive series for Publishing Perspectives. The post Richard Charkin: How (Not) To Start a Publishing Company, a Case Study appeared first on... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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ABA Pre-Order Initiative Off to Promising Start

The American Bookseller Association’s Pre-Order Task Force, an initiative to encourage customers to pre-order books at 22 indie bookstores around the country, shared encouraging early results at the NCIBA Fall Discovery Show. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Indies express dismay as Waterstones starts selling Super Thursday titles early

Independent booksellers have expressed concerns that Waterstones is selling Super Thursday titles ahead of their publication date. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PublishDrive Starts Subscription Model

PublishDrive, a global ebook distribution platform for authors and independent publishers, has introduced a new subscription pricing option allowing authors to pay a flat fee. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-10-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With a Murdoch in Charge, a Start-Up Leads the Way on Mobile Video

The set of Brother, Vertical Networks’ irreverent digital magazine for young men, which publishes daily on Snapchat and Facebook. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2018-10-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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British and Irish Writers Condemn No-Deal Brexit

The Society of Authors (SoA) and The Irish Writers' Union have released a joint statement warning of the impact of a no-deal Brexit on publishing and literature in the two countries. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-09-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Life pre-empts 'go-to guide' for gut health

Penguin Life has pre-empted the first book of dietitian Dr Megan Rossi, The Gut Health Doctor, sharing strategies for improving gut health. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mahfouz collection on working class artists to Westbourne Press

Saqi imprint The Westbourne Press has bought world English rights to Smashing It: Working Class Artists on Life, Art and Making It Happen, edited by poet and playwright Sabrina Mahfouz, recently made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook Started Indexing News Pages to Determine Which Publishers Belong in Its Ad Archive

Facebook announced that it has begun the process of indexing news pages in order to determine which publishers should be included in the Ad Archive that it introduced in June. The Ad Archive, which is available globally, gives people the ability to search for ads related to politics or issues of... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2018-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook rolls out system to include news publishers in its controversial Ad Archive

Facebook is moving forward with its controversial Ad Archive with a new system that will decide whether to include individual publishers in the archive. The post Facebook rolls out system to include news publishers in its controversial Ad Archive appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-09-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Life after Waterstones

Philip Jones considers the future of Foyles, following Waterstones' shock acquisition. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-09-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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SAGE buys start-up Lean Library

SAGE has acquired technology start-up Lean Library and its associated products, for an undisclosed sum. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-09-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Woodward’s 'Fear' Off to a Strong Start

Across the capital and across the country, booksellers reported brisk sales of Bob Woodward’s 'Fear' on its first day on the shelves. B&N called it the fastest selling adult title in three years. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-09-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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De Bellaigue, Mekhennet, Kaufmann shortlisted for £25k British Academy prize

Six writers will contest the shortlist for the Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize for Global Cultural Understanding 2018, the British Academy's £25,000 international prize. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-09-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Upgraded Pubnet Ordering System Goes Live

After a year of development to modernize and upgrade its services, Pubnet, an electronic book ordering system for retailers, went live on September 5 in the beginning of a phased migration that will last through December 4. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-09-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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