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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British Book Awards 2023: Almost 50 Jurors Now Chosen

The 2023 edition of the British Book Awards in London names 47 jurors to the task of choosing this year's 'Nibbies' winners. The post British Book Awards 2023: Almost 50 Jurors Now Chosen appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-02-02 18:26:29 UTC ]
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New Year, New World: The Best New Fantasy Manga to Start 2023

Sink your reading teeth into some of the most exciting new and upcoming fantasy manga for 2023, including Quality Assurance in Another World. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-01-27 11:31:00 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘Life on Delay,’ by John Hendrickson

John Hendrickson's memoir “Life on Delay” recounts his experience with this poorly understood neurological disorder, tracing an arc from frustration and isolation to acceptance and community. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-01-18 10:00:22 UTC ]
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Charles Tripp Chairs the British Academy’s £25,000 Book Prize Jury

The British Academy Book Prize for Global Cultural Understanding will name its winner in October. Publishers are submitting now. The post Charles Tripp Chairs the British Academy’s £25,000 Book Prize Jury appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-01-17 04:15:36 UTC ]
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Abcarian: Privileged, tormented, and finally, liberated: Prince Harry unshackles himself from the royal family

Prince Harry's memoir "Spare" is gracious, harsh, self-pitying, self-deprecating and, ultimately, self-aware. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-01-14 11:00:18 UTC ]
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A romance novelist came back to life. Angry fans say she faked her death

Scandal and despair hit the romance community when Susan Meachen was purportedly bullied into suicide. Was it a hoax?In 2020 the tightly knit and passionate world of self-published romance literature was shocked by the news that the novelist Susan Meachen, following bullying by other writers,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-14 10:00:06 UTC ]
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The Morning After: Disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried started a newsletter

Sure, it may not sound like the spiciest headline, but Sam Bankman-Fried is in a weird place to be starting a Substack. He’s facing up to 115 years in prison if he’s convicted of federal fraud and conspiracy charges. And yet the embattled founder of collapsed crypto exchange FTX – who pleaded... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-01-13 12:15:24 UTC ]
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Print Sales Flat at Start of 2023

Unit sales of print books dipped 0.1% in the week ended Jan. 7, 2023, from the comparable week in 2022, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-13 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Print Sales Start 2023 Flat with 2022

Unit sales of print books last week were even with the week ended January 8, 2022 with higher fiction sales offset by lower sales of nonfiction books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-12 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Todger, Tiggy, Biro and Spike: A glossary of Harry's Britishisms for 'Spare' readers

If you're reading Prince Harry's memoir 'Spare' and wondering what a biro is, here's a master list of the schools, nicknames and body parts you need to know. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-01-12 00:41:17 UTC ]
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In his own write: Prince Harry’s ghostwriter is so famous that George Clooney made a film of his life

JR Moehringer, biographer to stars such as Andre Agassi and a doyen of the genre, was an obvious choice for the Duke of SussexWhen Prince Harry chose to work with ghostwriter JR Moehringer on his institution-shaking memoir, Spare, he was not taking half measures. The American writer and Pulitzer... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-07 18:42:05 UTC ]
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A Summary and Analysis of Maya Angelou’s ‘Life Doesn’t Frighten Me’

‘Life Doesn’t Frighten Me’ is a well-known poem by Maya Angelou (1928-2014). It is the title poem from Angelou’s 1993 collection Life Doesn’t Frighten Me, which was marketed as a children’s book although Angelou did not originally conceive the poems as being specifically for children. A brave,... Continue reading at Interesting Literature

[ Interesting Literature | 2023-01-07 15:00:10 UTC ]
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What Running Has Taught Me About Writing (and Vice Versa)

I’m a daily runner. When I run varies, depending on the day’s contours, but I always lace up and head out. Earbuds in, audiobook on, running app ready to track my slow miles along semi-rural roads. Often, I don’t want to go. No matter how much I practice, I find running difficult. When I was […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-12-08 09:53:23 UTC ]
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Bending Gender’s Rules, in Life and in German Grammar

The victory of Kim de l’Horizon, a nonbinary writer, in a top literary prize stirred a debate about how the German language can accommodate people who don’t identify as male or female. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-11-30 11:35:52 UTC ]
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The best fiction of 2022: death and life in Cormac McCarthy's The Passenger

The Passenger, Cormac McCarthy’s first novel since The Road in 2006, shows him at the peak of his powers even as he nears his ninetieth year. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2022-11-24 13:19:55 UTC ]
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I beg you, don’t buy a novelty notebook for the book lover in your life this holiday season.*

Seriously. They already have too many. They also have too many totes, “old book” candles, library card socks, custom bookmarks, LED book lights. Any number of these is basically too many, except the totes, which don’t count because usually they’re free. I know, this isn’t what you’ve been told.... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-11-21 17:03:41 UTC ]
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10 Brilliant Novels About Communicating with Extraterrestrial Life

Ethan Chatagnier, author of the novel 'Singer Distance,' recommends 10 mind-blowing stories about encountering alien life. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-21 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Would you let a real-life vendor stalk you like an Instagram ad?

And other questions asked in ‘Algorithmic Reality,’ a new graphic novel by WeTransfer’s cofounder, Damian Bradfield. You’re in a shoe store, trying on a pair of Nikes. The vendor is going on about how great the shoes are, but you’re not convinced, so you walk out empty handed. Sometime later,... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2022-11-15 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Royal Reads: Honoring the Life of Queen Elizabeth II

To mark the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and the coronation of King Charles III, we highlight some vital books that explore the queen’s legacy and look to the future. (Sponsored) Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
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How ‘Dead Souls’ Taught Mel Brooks What Comedy Writing Could Be

“I’d never read anything like it,” says the actor and director, whose memoir “All About Me!” is newly out in paperback. “It was hysterically funny and incredibly moving at the same time. It’s like Gogol stuck a pen in his heart, and it didn’t even go through his mind on its way to the page.” Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-11-10 10:00:12 UTC ]
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