Robert McCrum: Difference between revisions
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{{short description|English writer and editor (born 1953)}} |
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{{EngvarB|date=February 2020}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}} |
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{{Infobox person |
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| birth_name = John Robert McCrum |
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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1953|7|7|df=y}} |
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| birth_place = [[Cambridge]], England |
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| death_date = |
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| death_place = |
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| other_names = |
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| parents = [[Michael William McCrum]] and Christine McCrum<ref name="Weddings NYT">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/14/style/weddings-sarah-l-lyall-robert-mccrum.html |title=WEDDINGS; Sarah L. Lyall, Robert McCrum |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=14 May 1995}}</ref> |
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| education = [[Sherborne School]] |
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| alma_mater = [[Corpus Christi College, Cambridge]]<br/>[[University of Pennsylvania]] |
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| occupation = Writer, editor |
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| years_active = |
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| known_for = |
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| notable_works = |
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| website = {{URL|https://robertmccrumuk.com/}} |
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}} |
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'''John Robert McCrum''' (born 7 July 1953) is an English writer and [[Editor in chief|editor]] who held senior editorial positions at [[Faber & Faber]] over seventeen years, followed by a long association with ''[[The Observer]]''. |
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The son of [[Michael William McCrum]], a Cambridge ancient historian, McCrum was educated at [[Sherborne School]], [[Corpus Christi College, Cambridge]] (MA) and the [[University of Pennsylvania]] as a [[Thouron Award|Thouron Scholar]]. |
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The son of [[Michael William McCrum]], a [[Cambridge]]-educated [[ancient historian]], Robert McCrum was born in Cambridge on 7 July 1953.<ref name=encyclopedia.com>{{cite web |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/mccrum-robert-1953 |title=McCrum, Robert 1953– |website=encyclopedia.com |access-date=8 October 2023}}</ref> He was educated at [[Sherborne School]], [[Corpus Christi College, Cambridge]] (MA (Cantab)), and the [[University of Pennsylvania]] as a [[Thouron Award|Thouron Scholar]].<ref name="Weddings NYT" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thouronaward.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/2013.pdf |title=Writers in the Family |work=The Thouron Awards |page=9 |date=2013–2014 |number=22 |access-date=8 October 2023}}</ref> |
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== Career == |
== Career == |
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McCrum was editorial director at [[Faber & Faber]] from 1979 to 1989<ref> |
McCrum was editorial director at [[Faber & Faber]] from 1979 to 1989<ref name="Debretts2001">{{cite book |editor1-last=Foster |editor1-first=Sara |editor2-last=Gullen |editor2-first=Zoe |title=Debrett's People of Today |date=2001 |publisher=Debrett's |location=London |isbn=9781870520164 |edition=2002}}</ref> and editor-in-chief there from 1990 to 1996.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/05/have_blogs_been_good_for_books.html |title=Have blogs been good for books? |last=McCrum |first=Robert |date=25 May 2008 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080908002217/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/05/have_blogs_been_good_for_books.html |archive-date=8 September 2008 |access-date=25 May 2008}}</ref> He served as [[literary editor]] of ''[[The Observer]]'' for more than ten years. In May 2008 he was appointed associate editor of ''The Observer''.<ref name="Observer2008">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/may/25/fiction.culture |title=A thriller in ten chapters |last=McCrum |first=Robert |date=25 May 2008 |newspaper=[[The Observer]] |access-date=25 May 2008}}</ref> |
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McCrum is the co-author of ''[[The Story of English]]'' with |
McCrum is the co-author of ''[[The Story of English]]'' with William Cran and [[Robert MacNeil]] and wrote ''[[P. G. Wodehouse]]: A Life''. McCrum's novel ''Suspicion'' was published in 1997.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rodgers |first1=Linda |title=Suspicion – Review |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/97/04/06/bib/970406.rv094549.html |website=NY Times Books |date=6 April 1997}}</ref> |
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McCrum received an |
McCrum received an honorary doctorate from [[Heriot-Watt University]] in 2011.<ref name="University2015">{{cite web |title=Honorary Graduates |url=http://www1.hw.ac.uk/graduation/docs/HWU_Honorary_Graduates_FINAL.pdf |website=Heriot-Watt University |access-date=27 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117025729/http://www1.hw.ac.uk/graduation/docs/HWU_Honorary_Graduates_FINAL.pdf |archive-date=17 November 2015 |page=19 |language=en}}</ref> |
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In August 2017, McCrum's ''Every Third Thought: On life, death and the endgame'' was published,<ref name=" |
In August 2017, McCrum's ''Every Third Thought: On life, death and the endgame'' was published,<ref name="Picador2017">{{cite book |last=McCrum |first=Robert |title=Every Third Thought: On life, death and the endgame |date=24 August 2017 |publisher=[[Picador (imprint)|Picador]] |isbn=978-1509815289 |edition=hardback}}</ref> taking its title from [[Shakespeare]]'s play ''[[The Tempest]]''.<ref name="Guardian2017">{{cite news |last=Morrison |first=Blake |author-link=Blake Morrison |title=Every Third Thought by Robert McCrum review – how to think about death |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/aug/25/every-third-thought-by-robert-mccrum-death |date=6 July 2014 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |access-date=4 September 2017}}</ref> The book was adapted and broadcast as [[BBC Radio 4]]'s ''[[Book of the Week]]'' the following month.<ref name="Book of the Week">{{cite episode |title=Book of the Week: Every Third Thought Episode 1 of 5 |series=[[Book of the Week]] |credits=Reader: [[Nicky Henson]]; Author: Robert McCrum; Abridger: [[Barry Johnston (writer)|Barry Johnston]]; Producer: David Roper |network=BBC |station=BBC Radio 4 |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b092lz2g |airdate=4 September 2017 |access-date=4 September 2017}}</ref> |
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== Personal life == |
== Personal life == |
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In 1995 McCrum suffered a massive |
In July 1995, McCrum suffered a massive stroke.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/aug/13/every-third-thought-robert-mccrum-extract-death |title='Words are the best weapons with which to come to terms with ageing' |first=Robert |last=McCrum |newspaper=The Observer |date=13 August 2017}}</ref> The devastating experience and his recovery is chronicled in ''My Year Off: Recovering Life After a Stroke''. He had been married to [[Sarah Lyall]], an American journalist, for only two months,<ref name="Weddings NYT" /> and the book includes diary entries made by his wife. He also became a patron of the UK charity Different Strokes, which provides information and support for younger stroke survivors. |
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Lyall, who writes for ''[[The New York Times]]'', lived in London from 1995 to 2013 and was the newspaper's London correspondent. She returned to New York with the couple's daughters in 2013; Lyall and McCrum later divorced.<ref name="Standard2013">{{cite news |title='Sometimes I felt loud and gauche, like a guest who shows up at a memorial service wearing a Hawaiian shirt': the thoughts of a New York Times correspondent on leaving London |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/sometimes-i-felt-loud-and-gauche-like-a-guest-who-shows-up-at-a-memorial-service-wearing-a-hawaiian-shirt-the-thoughts-of-a-new-york-times-correspondent-on-leaving-london-8781695.html |work=[[Evening Standard]] |date=23 August 2013 |access-date=27 September 2022}}</ref> |
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McCrum describes himself as |
McCrum describes himself as "a confused non-believer".<ref name="Economist2017">{{cite web |title=When thoughts often turn to death |url=https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2017/08/19/when-thoughts-often-turn-to-death |website=[[The Economist]] |date=19 August 2017 |access-date=27 September 2022}}</ref> |
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==Bibliography== |
==Bibliography== |
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=== Fiction === |
=== Fiction === |
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* ''In the Secret State''. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1980 |
* ''In the Secret State''. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1980. |
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* ''A Loss of Heart''. 1982 |
* ''A Loss of Heart''. 1982 |
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* ''The Fabulous Englishman'' UK: Hamish Hamilton |
* ''The Fabulous Englishman'' UK: Hamish Hamilton Ltd, 1984. |
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* ''Mainland''. New York: Knopf, 1991. |
* ''Mainland''. New York: Knopf, 1991. |
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* ''The Psychological Moment''. London: Martin Secker & Warburg, 1993. |
* ''The Psychological Moment''. London: Martin Secker & Warburg, 1993. |
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* ''Suspicion''. New York: Norton, 1997. {{ISBN|0-393-04046-1}} |
* ''Suspicion''. New York: Norton, 1997. {{ISBN|0-393-04046-1}} |
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=== |
=== Non-fiction === |
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* |
* ''The Story of English''. New York: Elisabeth Sifton, 1986. (With William Cran and Robert MacNeil) |
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* ''My Year Off: Recovering Life After a Stroke |
* ''My Year Off: Recovering Life After a Stroke''. New York: Norton, 1998. {{ISBN|0-393-04656-7}} {{ISBN|978-0393046564}} |
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* ''P. G. Wodehouse: A Life |
* ''P. G. Wodehouse: A Life''. New York: Norton, 2004. {{ISBN|978-0-393-05159-9}} |
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* ''Globish: How the English Language Became the World's Language |
* ''Globish: How the English Language Became the World's Language''. New York: Norton, 2010. {{ISBN|978-0-393-06255-7}} |
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* '' |
* ''The 100 Best Novels in English''. London: Galileo, 2015. {{ISBN|978-1-903-38542-5}} |
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* ''Every Third Thought: On Life, Death and the Endgame''. London: Picador, 2017. {{ISBN|978-1-5098-1528-9}} |
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* ''The 100 Best Non Fiction Books of All Time''. London: Galileo, 2018. {{ISBN|978-1-9033-8583-8}} |
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* ''Shakespearean''. New York London: Pegasus Books, 2021. {{ISBN|978-1-64313-789-6}} |
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== References == |
== References == |
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{{ |
{{reflist|30em}} |
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== External links == |
== External links == |
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* [https://robertmccrumuk.com/ Official website] |
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* [http://www.robertmccrum.com Robert McCrum] official website |
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{{EmmyAward NonfictionProgrammingWriting}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:McCrum, Robert}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCrum, Robert}} |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:1953 births]] |
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[[Category:People educated at Sherborne School]] |
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[[Category:Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge]] |
[[Category:Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge]] |
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[[Category:British writers]] |
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[[Category:British book editors]] |
[[Category:British book editors]] |
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[[Category:P. G. Wodehouse]] |
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[[Category:British literary editors]] |
[[Category:British literary editors]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Living people]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:People educated at Sherborne School]] |
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Latest revision as of 10:28, 24 April 2024
Robert McCrum | |
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Born | John Robert McCrum 7 July 1953 Cambridge, England |
Education | Sherborne School |
Alma mater | Corpus Christi College, Cambridge University of Pennsylvania |
Occupation(s) | Writer, editor |
Parent(s) | Michael William McCrum and Christine McCrum[1] |
Website | robertmccrumuk |
John Robert McCrum (born 7 July 1953) is an English writer and editor who held senior editorial positions at Faber & Faber over seventeen years, followed by a long association with The Observer.
Early life and education
[edit]The son of Michael William McCrum, a Cambridge-educated ancient historian, Robert McCrum was born in Cambridge on 7 July 1953.[2] He was educated at Sherborne School, Corpus Christi College, Cambridge (MA (Cantab)), and the University of Pennsylvania as a Thouron Scholar.[1][3]
Career
[edit]McCrum was editorial director at Faber & Faber from 1979 to 1989[4] and editor-in-chief there from 1990 to 1996.[5] He served as literary editor of The Observer for more than ten years. In May 2008 he was appointed associate editor of The Observer.[6]
McCrum is the co-author of The Story of English with William Cran and Robert MacNeil and wrote P. G. Wodehouse: A Life. McCrum's novel Suspicion was published in 1997.[7]
McCrum received an honorary doctorate from Heriot-Watt University in 2011.[8]
In August 2017, McCrum's Every Third Thought: On life, death and the endgame was published,[9] taking its title from Shakespeare's play The Tempest.[10] The book was adapted and broadcast as BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week the following month.[11]
Personal life
[edit]In July 1995, McCrum suffered a massive stroke.[12] The devastating experience and his recovery is chronicled in My Year Off: Recovering Life After a Stroke. He had been married to Sarah Lyall, an American journalist, for only two months,[1] and the book includes diary entries made by his wife. He also became a patron of the UK charity Different Strokes, which provides information and support for younger stroke survivors.
Lyall, who writes for The New York Times, lived in London from 1995 to 2013 and was the newspaper's London correspondent. She returned to New York with the couple's daughters in 2013; Lyall and McCrum later divorced.[13]
McCrum describes himself as "a confused non-believer".[14]
Bibliography
[edit]Fiction
[edit]- In the Secret State. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1980.
- A Loss of Heart. 1982
- The Fabulous Englishman UK: Hamish Hamilton Ltd, 1984.
- Mainland. New York: Knopf, 1991.
- The Psychological Moment. London: Martin Secker & Warburg, 1993.
- Jubilee. New York: Knopf, 1994. ISBN 0-679-42987-5
- Suspicion. New York: Norton, 1997. ISBN 0-393-04046-1
Non-fiction
[edit]- The Story of English. New York: Elisabeth Sifton, 1986. (With William Cran and Robert MacNeil)
- My Year Off: Recovering Life After a Stroke. New York: Norton, 1998. ISBN 0-393-04656-7 ISBN 978-0393046564
- P. G. Wodehouse: A Life. New York: Norton, 2004. ISBN 978-0-393-05159-9
- Globish: How the English Language Became the World's Language. New York: Norton, 2010. ISBN 978-0-393-06255-7
- The 100 Best Novels in English. London: Galileo, 2015. ISBN 978-1-903-38542-5
- Every Third Thought: On Life, Death and the Endgame. London: Picador, 2017. ISBN 978-1-5098-1528-9
- The 100 Best Non Fiction Books of All Time. London: Galileo, 2018. ISBN 978-1-9033-8583-8
- Shakespearean. New York London: Pegasus Books, 2021. ISBN 978-1-64313-789-6
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "WEDDINGS; Sarah L. Lyall, Robert McCrum". The New York Times. 14 May 1995.
- ^ "McCrum, Robert 1953–". encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
- ^ "Writers in the Family" (PDF). The Thouron Awards. 2013–2014. p. 9. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
- ^ Foster, Sara; Gullen, Zoe, eds. (2001). Debrett's People of Today (2002 ed.). London: Debrett's. ISBN 9781870520164.
- ^ McCrum, Robert (25 May 2008). "Have blogs been good for books?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 September 2008. Retrieved 25 May 2008.
- ^ McCrum, Robert (25 May 2008). "A thriller in ten chapters". The Observer. Retrieved 25 May 2008.
- ^ Rodgers, Linda (6 April 1997). "Suspicion – Review". NY Times Books.
- ^ "Honorary Graduates" (PDF). Heriot-Watt University. p. 19. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ McCrum, Robert (24 August 2017). Every Third Thought: On life, death and the endgame (hardback ed.). Picador. ISBN 978-1509815289.
- ^ Morrison, Blake (6 July 2014). "Every Third Thought by Robert McCrum review – how to think about death". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
- ^ Reader: Nicky Henson; Author: Robert McCrum; Abridger: Barry Johnston; Producer: David Roper (4 September 2017). "Book of the Week: Every Third Thought Episode 1 of 5". Book of the Week. BBC. BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
- ^ McCrum, Robert (13 August 2017). "'Words are the best weapons with which to come to terms with ageing'". The Observer.
- ^ "'Sometimes I felt loud and gauche, like a guest who shows up at a memorial service wearing a Hawaiian shirt': the thoughts of a New York Times correspondent on leaving London". Evening Standard. 23 August 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ "When thoughts often turn to death". The Economist. 19 August 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2022.