George Weidenfeld
Encyclopedia
Arthur George Weidenfeld, Baron Weidenfeld, GBE
(born 13 September 1919) is a British publisher, philanthropist
, and newspaper columnist. He was born in Vienna
, Austria
.
Weidenfeld attended the University of Vienna
and the city's Diplomatic College. Following Germany's
annexation of Austria
in 1938, he emigrated to London
and began work with the monitoring service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. By 1942 he was a political commentator for the BBC and also wrote a weekly newspaper column.
In 1948, Weidenfeld co-founded the publishing firm Weidenfeld & Nicolson
with Nigel Nicolson
. The firm published several landmark titles, including Vladimir Nabokov
's Lolita
and Nicolson's own controversial autobiography Portrait of a Marriage
. In 1949 he served as political adviser and Chief of Cabinet to Chaim Weizmann
.
In 1985, Weidenfeld's publishing interests expanded to the United States, when he acquired the Grove Press
in partnership with Ann Getty (wife of Gordon Getty
). Grove later merged with the New York division of Weidenfeld & Nicolson to form Grove Nicolson. In 1991, Weidenfeld & Nicolson's UK branch was sold to the Orion Publishing Group
and became Orion's main non-fiction imprint. In 1993 the US company, Grove Nicolson, merged with the Atlantic Monthly Press to form Grove/Atlantic Inc.
Weidenfeld's responsibilities therefore no longer include day-to-day business operations, but he continues to work on attracting prestigious authors to his imprint
s. A notable coup for Weidenfeld & Nicolson came in 2005 when Weidenfeld arranged the publication of Memory & Identity by John Paul II. Weidenfeld also remains active as a columnist for the Hamburg
newspaper Die Welt.
In January 2006, the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, originally founded as The Club of Three in the 1990s, was established with Weidenfeld as its president. This network-based policy organisation works with global leaders in the private and public sectors to challenge the long-range threats to international and communal peace and to enhance Europe’s capacity to be a coherent and effective player.
Weidenfeld has served in many philanthropic capacities including Chairman of the Ben Gurion University of the Negev (1996–2004), Governor of Tel Aviv University
, Governor of the Weizmann Institute, Vice-Chairman of the EU-Israel Forum, and Trustee of the National Portrait Gallery
(1988–95).
Weidenfeld, who became a British citizen in 1946, was knighted in 1969 and created Life peer
as Baron Weidenfeld of Chelsea in the County of Greater London
in 1976. He was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for public service. Further honors have included Honorary Fellow of St Peter's College, Oxford
, Honorary Fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford and Honorary D.Litt. from the University of Exeter
. Weidenfeld has been married to Annabelle Whitestone
since 1992.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 13 September 1919) is a British publisher, philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
, and newspaper columnist. He was born in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
Weidenfeld attended the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
and the city's Diplomatic College. Following Germany's
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
annexation of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
in 1938, he emigrated to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and began work with the monitoring service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. By 1942 he was a political commentator for the BBC and also wrote a weekly newspaper column.
In 1948, Weidenfeld co-founded the publishing firm Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd is a British publisher of fiction and reference books. It is a division of the Orion Publishing Group.-History:...
with Nigel Nicolson
Nigel Nicolson
Nigel Nicolson OBE was a British writer, publisher and politician.-Biography:Nicolson was the son of the writers Sir Harold Nicolson and Vita Sackville-West; he had a brother Ben, later an art historian...
. The firm published several landmark titles, including Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov was a multilingual Russian novelist and short story writer. Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Russian, then rose to international prominence as a master English prose stylist...
's Lolita
Lolita
Lolita is a novel by Vladimir Nabokov, first written in English and published in 1955 in Paris and 1958 in New York, and later translated by the author into Russian...
and Nicolson's own controversial autobiography Portrait of a Marriage
Portrait of a Marriage
Portrait of a Marriage: Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson is the 1973 biography of writer and gardener Vita Sackville-West compiled by her son Nigel Nicolson from her journals and letters...
. In 1949 he served as political adviser and Chief of Cabinet to Chaim Weizmann
Chaim Weizmann
Chaim Azriel Weizmann, , was a Zionist leader, President of the Zionist Organization, and the first President of the State of Israel. He was elected on 1 February 1949, and served until his death in 1952....
.
In 1985, Weidenfeld's publishing interests expanded to the United States, when he acquired the Grove Press
Grove Press
Grove Press is an American publishing imprint that was founded in 1951. Imprints include: Black Cat, Evergreen, Venus Library, Zebra. Barney Rosset purchased the company in 1951 and turned it into an alternative book press in the United States. The Atlantic Monthly Press, under the aegis of its...
in partnership with Ann Getty (wife of Gordon Getty
Gordon Getty
Gordon Peter Getty was born on December 20, 1934. He is the fourth child of oil tycoon J. Paul Getty. His mother, Ann Rork, was his father's third wife. When his father died in 1976, Gordon assumed control of Getty's US$2 billion trust...
). Grove later merged with the New York division of Weidenfeld & Nicolson to form Grove Nicolson. In 1991, Weidenfeld & Nicolson's UK branch was sold to the Orion Publishing Group
Orion Publishing Group
Orion Publishing Group Ltd. is a UK-based book publisher. It is owned by Hachette Livre. In 1998 Orion bought Cassell.-History:Full history of the group can be found on Orion Publishing Group is owned by -Imprints:...
and became Orion's main non-fiction imprint. In 1993 the US company, Grove Nicolson, merged with the Atlantic Monthly Press to form Grove/Atlantic Inc.
Grove/Atlantic Inc.
Grove/Atlantic, Inc. is a New York-based independent publishing house that was formed by the merger of Grove Press and Atlantic Monthly Press. Grove/Atlantic's imprints publish literary fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, and translations...
Weidenfeld's responsibilities therefore no longer include day-to-day business operations, but he continues to work on attracting prestigious authors to his imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
s. A notable coup for Weidenfeld & Nicolson came in 2005 when Weidenfeld arranged the publication of Memory & Identity by John Paul II. Weidenfeld also remains active as a columnist for the Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
newspaper Die Welt.
In January 2006, the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, originally founded as The Club of Three in the 1990s, was established with Weidenfeld as its president. This network-based policy organisation works with global leaders in the private and public sectors to challenge the long-range threats to international and communal peace and to enhance Europe’s capacity to be a coherent and effective player.
Weidenfeld has served in many philanthropic capacities including Chairman of the Ben Gurion University of the Negev (1996–2004), Governor of Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
, Governor of the Weizmann Institute, Vice-Chairman of the EU-Israel Forum, and Trustee of the National Portrait Gallery
National Portrait Gallery (England)
The National Portrait Gallery is an art gallery in London, England, housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was the first portrait gallery in the world when it opened in 1856. The gallery moved in 1896 to its current site at St Martin's Place, off...
(1988–95).
Weidenfeld, who became a British citizen in 1946, was knighted in 1969 and created Life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
as Baron Weidenfeld of Chelsea in the County of Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
in 1976. He was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for public service. Further honors have included Honorary Fellow of St Peter's College, Oxford
St Peter's College, Oxford
St Peter's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom, located in New Inn Hall Street. It occupies the site of two of the University's oldest Inns, or medieval hostels - Bishop Trellick's, later New Inn Hall, and Rose Hall - both of which were...
, Honorary Fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford and Honorary D.Litt. from the University of Exeter
University of Exeter
The University of Exeter is a public university in South West England. It belongs to the 1994 Group, an association of 19 of the United Kingdom's smaller research-intensive universities....
. Weidenfeld has been married to Annabelle Whitestone
Annabelle Whitestone
Annabelle Whitestone, Lady Weidenfeld, is an English former concert manager and promoter for classical music impresarios including Ingpen & Williams, Ibbs and Tillett, Wilfrid Van Wyck, and Conciertos Daniel....
since 1992.
External links
- "The New Statesman Profile - George Weidenfeld." Quentin LettsQuentin LettsQuentin Richard Stephen Letts is a British journalist and theatre critic, writing for The Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, The Oldie and New Statesman, and previously for The Times.- Early life :...
, New StatesmanNew StatesmanNew Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
, January 1, 1999. - George Weidenfeld on arte.tv