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 ]
News tagged with: #harry potter

Other news stories related to: "Polly Toynbee: what my privileged start in life taught me about the British class system"


HBO says there's no evidence hack has infiltrated email system

The hacker group that took credit for breaking into HBO’s computer systems reportedly released new documents on Monday, including marketing materials and emails of an HBO executive. The premium pay-TV channel, owned by media company Time Warner Inc., reiterated late Monday that it does not... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Nicole Krauss | 'I could express things that I simply couldn't in my own skin, in my own life'

A novelist combining critical and commercial acclaim, Nicole Krauss turns her attention to a writer, named Nicole, who suffers writer’s block. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #simply couldn #nicole krauss


The Man Booker Prize class of 2017

Gavin James Bower says the Man Booker Prize longlist shows the publishing industry needs to start talking about class seriously. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #publishing industry


Zine queens: how women’s magazines found new life via indie publishing

Promoting diversity and representing women on their own terms, female-led, DIY zines are on the rise in the UK. Here, the industry’s rising stars reveal how they’re reshaping the genre on their own termsThe British media has a diversity problem. Research at City University last year found the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-07-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #popular website #print version #modern feminism


The literary life of Michiko Kakutani: the book critic's best feuds and reviews

The New York Times writer is stepping down from her role, leaving behind a remarkable career characterized by razor-sharp reviews and intra-literary rowsMichiko Kakutani, the New York Times’ revered chief book critic, announced she was stepping down from her post on Thursday after 38 years,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #greek mythology


Author Yap funds Curtis Brown scholarship for 'less privileged'

Author Felicia Yap is to fund a Curtis Brown Creative scholarship for a talented writer from a "less-privileged" background. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #talented writer


Facebook Says It Will Start Testing a Subscription-Based News Product in October

A paywall is coming to Facebook, much to the delight of publishers. Head of news partnerships Campbell Brown made the announcement at the Digital Publishing Innovation Summit in New York Tuesday, as reported by Leon Lazaroff of TheStreet. Her announcement comes just over one week after several... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2017-07-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #start testing #prominent publishers


John Higgs | 'It's a book about being delighted to be British'

At a time in which the British psyche is under interrogation - and a united kingdom may itself be under threat - John Higgs' cross-country pilgrimage has a certain resonance... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #united kingdom


Crown Starts New Nonfiction Imprint, Currency

The imprint will be led by Tina Constable and, according to Crown head Maya Mavjee, will publish books on business; economics and finance; and individual, organizational, and societal transformation and growth. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #publish books #tina constable #nonfiction imprint


‘Life is not fair’: How Salon regrouped after Facebook decimated its traffic

The news and culture site said after Facebook changed its algorithm a year ago, the publisher's traffic fell 23 percent. The post ‘Life is not fair’: How Salon regrouped after Facebook decimated its traffic appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #traffic appeared #post life


iBooks Bestsellers: Grisham Enjoys the 'Island' Life

John Grisham stays by the shoreline as his first-ever beach read, 'Camino Island,' remains #1 on the iBooks bestseller list. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #remains #1 #beach read #ibooks bestsellers #camino island


Former Evangelical Extremist Recalls Life in Westboro Baptist Church

The granddaughter of Westboro Baptist Church founder Fred Phelps recounts why, and how, she fled one of the most inflammatory and notorious evangelical groups in the U.S. in her book, ‘Girl on a Wire.’ Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Children's author brings books to life through augmented reality

There's nothing quite like having a book literally come to life in the palm of your hands. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2017-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #augmented reality


Two new Harry Potter books for British Library exhibition

Bloomsbury and Pottermore will publish two new books this autumn for the British Library exhibition “Harry Potter: A History of Magic”, opening on 20th October. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Florence Welch: British singer admits that performing allows her to 'hide in plain sight'

Florence Welch is nervous. "I get very anxious in interviews," she says, her pale cheeks flushed, her dark eyes shining. "I've always felt overwhelmed by my emotions. Even sitting here now I want to cry and I don't know why." We are sitting side-by-side on a yellow striped sofa in the front... Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2017-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #topped charts #critically acclaimed


Industry Notes: Hay Festival Archive to British Library; Cengage Fights Counterfeit Course Materials

British Library officials say the Hay Archive comprises its largest acquisition of literary recordings. And Cengage announces new anti-piracy efforts. The post Industry Notes: Hay Festival Archive to British Library; Cengage Fights Counterfeit Course Materials appeared first on Publishing... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #anti-piracy efforts #british library


A class above: introducing the Rising Stars of 2017

The book business’ Rising Stars of 2017 are a class apart in more ways than one, with signs that the trade is opening its doors to new voices... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #book business #rising stars


Get 'Jump Start Responsive Web Design' ebook ($30 value) FREE for a limited time

The pixel-perfect web is dead. The days of positioning elements on a web page and expecting them to always display exactly how we wanted are a distant memory; we now cope with the constant barrage of new and varied devices that our designs need to look fantastic on. Responsive web design is no... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2017-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #bonus feature #constant barrage #web page


‘It’s going to be a slow burn’: Publishers are starting to see money from Facebook’s mid-roll ads

There's money to be made with Facebook's mid-roll video ads -- if you have scale. The post ‘It’s going to be a slow burn’: Publishers are starting to see money from Facebook’s mid-roll ads appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #slow burn


BookExpo 2017: Life and Death, and the 1968 Election: Lawrence O’Donnell

Lawrence O’Donnell, host of "The Last Word" on MSNBC, has some advice for booksellers who have been in stress over the 2016 election results: chill out. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |