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 Publishing stories related to: 'Polly Toynbee: what my privileged start in life taught me about the British class system'


‘More zeros than I’ve seen in my life’: the author who got a six-figure deal via ‘BookTok’

After she was dropped by her agent, Alex Aster turned to a books-obsessed corner of TikTok to gauge interest in her YA novel … and now Lightlark is one of the most eagerly anticipated releases of the yearHaving finally published her first novel, Alex Aster was feeling disheartened. The book had... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-08-16 13:32:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #literary agent #six-figure deal #books world #million times #film rights #ya novel


I could not believe how bravely Salman Rushdie faced the threats to his life. That’s true courage | Hadley Freeman

In our conversations and emails, his determination to not let the fatwa define him has been evidentThat Salman Rushdie was nearly murdered at an event in New York while talking about whether the United States was a safe haven for exiled writers is an irony he’d have rejected as too far-fetched... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-08-14 12:39:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fantastical novels #hadley freeman #guardian columnist #issues raised #memoir


The incredible feats and lonely life of sports legend Jim Thorpe

David Maraniss shows how the legendary athlete was celebrated, belittled and exploited. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-08-12 10:00:27 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


A fresh look at Ruth Asawa’s extraordinary life

On the occasion of a retrospective exhibition of Ruth Asawa's work in England and Norway, the show’s co-curators have edited a book of essays about her life. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-08-04 15:37:02 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #extraordinary life


Listen To Me: Start Your Audiobooks All Over Again

Ever tried this audiobook tip? Why it might be worthwhile to let yourself experience the vibes then revisit with more attention. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-07-29 10:36:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #audiobook


Paradise comes thrillingly to life in ‘Hokuloa Road’

Elizabeth Hand’s new book is no ordinary mystery novel but a genre-bending tale that captures the richness of Hawaii Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-07-28 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #elizabeth hand


Media Briefing: A snapshot of the digital media economy at the start of earnings season

In this week’s Media Briefing, media editor Kayleigh Barber examines the state of the digital media economy as major tech platforms report quarterly earnings and advertising and commerce businesses remain in flux. The post Media Briefing: A snapshot of the digital media economy at the start of... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2022-07-28 04:01:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #media briefing #digital media


Start with Mysteries, Thrillers, & True Crime If You’re New to Audiobooks

If you're new to audiobooks or unsure if they're for you, try a mystery, thriller, or true crime audiobook to get you started. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-07-20 10:32:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #true crime #audiobook


Open Road Starts Frontlist Marketing Service

With frontlist sales for many publishers stalled, Open Road Integrated Media is adapting its Ignition program—designed to give backlist e-books a boost—to help promote new releases. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-07-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Where Life Lives On

An excerpt from Tess Gunty's debut novel The Rabbit Hutch. The post Where Life Lives On appeared first on Granta. Continue reading at Granta

[ Granta | 2022-07-19 10:43:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #tess gunty #rabbit hutch #debut novel


British fashion recognises ‘tastemaker’ behind Dazed & Confused magazine

Jefferson Hack, who co-founded the influential 90s journal, has empowered raft of new designers, says industry“I don’t think there’s been a tougher time in fashion since I’ve been doing this,” says the tastemaker and independent publisher Jefferson Hack, who co-founded Dazed & Confused... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-07-16 17:05:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #independent publisher


Susie Steiner, author of stylish British crime thrillers, dies at 51

As a Guardian journalist, she helped popularize the “Keep Calm Carry On” poster. She later wrote bestselling novels about police detective Manon Bradshaw. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-07-15 00:29:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #guardian journalist


An 'emotional' Jennifer Grey opens up about how abortion changed her life

The 'Dirty Dancing' star discusses the upcoming sequel, her memoir and the Supreme Court's 'fundamentally wrong' abortion ruling. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-07-14 14:00:17 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #dirty dancing #supreme court #memoir


Print Book Sales Start July with 8.8% Drop

Sales of print books began the second half of 2022 on a down note, with units falling 8.8% last week compared to the week ended July 10, 2021. The sales pattern was a familiar one, with gains in adult fiction not enough to offset deep declines in adult nonfiction and the juvenile segments. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-07-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #8% drop #week compared #adult fiction #adult nonfiction #juvenile segments


A psychic said Stephanie Johnson’s life would be tough. She was right.

Johnson, a former burlesque dancer known as Tanqueray, overcame many obstacles before she was featured in “Humans of New York.” Then things changed quickly. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-07-11 12:00:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #stephanie johnson


“I Won’t Be Misrepresenting Anybody’s Life Experience But My Own.” A Conversation with Cartoonist and Comedian Luke Healy

Cartoonist and comedian Luke Healy (The Con Artists, Americana) and actor Connor Ratliff (Dead Eyes) spoke to one another as part of D+Q Live, a spring event series by the graphic novel publisher Drawn & Quarterly. The conversation revolved around Healy’s new book, The Con Artists, which... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-07-07 08:53:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #life experience #graphic novel


Macmillan Slowly Bringing Systems Back

In an update on the status of a "security incident" that forced Macmillan to take many of its computer systems offline, the company said it has made progress in restoring access, but said that while it is accepting orders electronically, it is “unable to process them at the time.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-07-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #security incident #macmillan


The historical novel ‘Horse’ sheds light on real-life racism

Pulitzer winner Geraldine Brooks’s latest book is a sweeping tale that uses the true story of a famous 19th-century racehorse to explore the roots and legacy of enslavement. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-06-17 13:11:51 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sheds light #sweeping tale #true story


Geraldine Brooks Had an Unpleasant Surprise When She Taught at Harvard

“Half my students had never read a Shakespeare play,” says the historical novelist, whose latest book is “Horse.” “That set my hair on fire.” Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-06-16 09:00:23 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #geraldine brooks #historical novelist