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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Martin Amis, acclaimed British novelist and London scenester of '80s and '90s, dies at 73

Martin Amis, best known for a scathing, dazzling trilogy of novels on money-saturated '80s London and the memoir "Experience," died Friday at 73. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-05-20 20:05:38 UTC ]
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Martin Amis, era-defining British novelist, dies aged 73

The celebrated author of Money and London Fields, whose works defined the 80s and 90s literary scene, died of oesophageal cancer on Friday at his home in FloridaMartin Amis, the influential author of era-defining novels including Money and London Fields, and the memoir Experience, has died at... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-05-20 18:53:35 UTC ]
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Quantum physics could offer a new way to study biology—and the results could change our understanding of life itself

There’s a chance our understanding of biology is radically incomplete. Imagine using your cellphone to control the activity of your own cells to treat injuries and disease. It sounds like something from the imagination of an overly optimistic science fiction writer. But this may one day be a... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2023-05-18 01:04:00 UTC ]
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Naomi Klein investigates ‘conspiracy theory culture’ that has shaken her life

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[ The Guardian | 2023-05-17 13:00:30 UTC ]
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Life-Changing Books for Every Reader: PW Talks with Laura Schreiber

The executive editor at Union Square & Co. looks to nurture the work of both debut and seasoned authors. (Sponsored) Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The British Book Awards Honor Salman Rushdie

Near the conclusion of the British Book Awards' gala evening in London, the 'Nibbies' offer an unexpected honor for Salman Rushdie. The post The British Book Awards Honor Salman Rushdie appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-05-16 00:21:54 UTC ]
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Kelly McMasters on Starting a Bookstore to Save Her Marriage

The first time I sliced open a box of books in my new bookshop, I breathed in deeply. The pulpy starch of the paper caught in the back of my throat, while the faint chemical sting of the new ink burned high in my nostrils. I imagined a world where this smell was a constant […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-05-09 08:53:39 UTC ]
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7 Babysitters Club Books that Changed My Life

I can’t remember exactly when I discovered The Baby-Sitters Club books. Maybe it was at a Scholastic Book Fair at my school. But I’ll always remember the very first book, Kristy’s Great Idea, with its bright yellow cover and alphabet block letters. I saw four friends hanging out, and I... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2023-05-05 11:10:00 UTC ]
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Literati Book Fairs Expand into Minneapolis with Start Reading Now Partnership

The arrangement will bring some 21 free Literati book fairs to Minneapolis schools in 2023 and will fund free books for kids in need. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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“Maybe This Means Something.” Min Jin Lee on Vulnerability and Audacity, in Life and on the Page

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[ Literrary Hub | 2023-05-02 08:54:53 UTC ]
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The best gifts for the new grads in your life

Surviving years of college is no small feat, so the graduates in our lives deserve rightful praise and celebration. Whether your graduate is going out into the world to get their first job or continuing with their education, there are a number of gadgets you can gift them that will make them... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-05-01 13:15:46 UTC ]
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Where are fiction’s real working-class heroes? | Letter

Working-class lives are unlikely to be properly represented in fiction if the publishing industry is run by middle-class graduates, says Nick MossKeiran Goddard is right to say that too many novels that claim to portray working-class life just give us “recent arts graduate feels emotionally,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-04-30 16:40:05 UTC ]
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Attacks On The Nation’s Libraries Are About Class As Much As Censorship

If the more than 100 bills in state legislatures aiming to ban books fail, lawmakers want to cut library budgets — which could mean cuts to resources for America's most vulnerable. Continue reading at HuffPost

[ HuffPost | 2023-04-28 09:45:11 UTC ]
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Jennifer Egan on the Fascinating Interactions Between Technology and Inner Life

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[ Literrary Hub | 2023-04-25 08:53:29 UTC ]
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How the social traffic that gave life to BuzzFeed News ultimately led to its demise

BuzzFeed News' closure represents the struggles of news media, but larger, the mismanagement of digital media properties in a world of consolidation. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2023-04-24 04:01:00 UTC ]
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Starting Salaries at Big Publishers Grow

Over the past three years, entry-level wages at the Big Five publishers and Scholastic have risen 23%, on average, in response to calls for a living wage, union actions, and inflation. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A Dancer’s Life: Chita Rivera on Working Hard and Learning From the Best

A new memoir traces the three-time Tony Award winner’s life and career working with Balanchine, Robbins and Fosse. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-04-19 09:00:33 UTC ]
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London Book Fair 2023: Brian Murray, the Ukrainian First Lady, and a Shocking Arrest Start the Show

On Day One in London, HarperCollins CEO Brian Murray said the publisher may still try to buy Simon & Schuster, Ukrainian first lady Olena Zolenska addressed the fair over video, and the floor was aflutter over the arrest of the foreign rights manager at French publisher Éditions La Fabrique... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Granta 163: Best of Young British Novelists 5 review – more solipsism than state of the nation

The latest celebration of emerging literary talent brings thrills, charm and emotional punch to the page. But this new generation have taken an inward turn compared with the more worldly themes of bygone yearsEvery decade since 1983, an editor of the literary quarterly Granta has tasked a panel... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-04-16 06:00:03 UTC ]
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Here is the Granta 2023 Best of British Novelists list.

A new drop of choice up-and-coming novelists has arrived on the morning tide. Granta magazine has announced its 2023 Best of British Novelists list, geared to future stars, including picks from Sigrid Rausing, Rachel Cusk, Helen Oyeyemi, Tash Aw, and Brian Dillon. The team picked a host of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-04-13 13:57:54 UTC ]
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