Lynn Barber
Encyclopedia
Lynn Barber is a British
journalist
, who writes for The Sunday Times
.
. While undertaking her A-levels, Barber had a two year relationship with a significantly older man, whom she knew as Simon Goldman, but who also called himself Simon Prewalski, an associate of Peter Rachman
, who deceived both Barber and her parents: this affair was subsequently to provide the basis for a memoir by Barber and a movie (see Career below).
She read English Language and Literature at St Anne's College, Oxford. While at Oxford she was "briefly" the girlfriend of drug smuggler Howard Marks
, but met David Maurice Cloudesley Cardiff, whom she married in 1971; they had two daughters. Cardiff died in August 2003.
In 2010, listeners to BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs
heard Barber admit to sleeping with 'probably 50 men' during two terms at Oxford. 'It was quite good going - I was just jamming them in,' she said.
magazine for seven years until 1974, being successively editorial assistant, literary editor, features editor and deputy editor; she left to have children. From 1982-89 she was a feature writer on the Sunday Express magazine and joined The Independent on Sunday in 1990. Barber has also written for Vanity Fair
, The Sunday Times
, The Daily Telegraph
and The Observer
from 1996 to 2009. Best known for her interviews, she was once quoted by Will Self
as describing her method as "start[ing] ... from a position of really disliking people, and then compel[ling] them to win you over." An interview with the conceptual artists Jake and Dinos Chapman
was not a success: the Chapman Brothers have threatened to kill her if they ever meet again.
Barber has won five British press awards. Her books include two collections of interviews, Mostly Men and Demon Barber, a sex book How to Improve Your Man in Bed, and a survey of Victorian popular natural history writers, The Heyday of Natural History.
In 2006, Barber was one of the judges for the Turner Prize
and wrote an article in The Observer critical of some aspects of the judging process. She currently appears on TV in Grumpy Old Women
.
Barber's memoir of her teenage love affair, An Education, was published in June 2009. Its genesis was in a short piece on a similar theme that Barber wrote for British literary magazine Granta
. Nick Hornby
adapted this short article into a film of the same name
, made by BBC Films
and released in October 2009, and available on video from March 2010. In the meantime Barber had expanded the Granta article into her memoir; Hornby did not use Barber's book as source material for the film, just the Granta article.
It was announced in September 2009 that Barber would return to The Sunday Times later in the year writing for its magazine.
In July 2011, Barber was successfully sued by Sarah Thornton
for libel and malicious falsehood over Barber's review of Seven Days in the Artworld that was published in the Daily Telegraph of 1 November 2008.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, who writes for The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
.
Early life
Barber attended Lady Eleanor Holles SchoolLady Eleanor Holles School
The Lady Eleanor Holles School is an independent school for girls in Hampton, London, England. The school was founded in 1711.-Admissions:...
. While undertaking her A-levels, Barber had a two year relationship with a significantly older man, whom she knew as Simon Goldman, but who also called himself Simon Prewalski, an associate of Peter Rachman
Peter Rachman
Peter Rachman was a London landlord in the Notting Hill area in the 1950s and 1960s. He became so notorious for his exploitation of tenants that the word "Rachmanism" entered the OED as a synonym for any greedy, unscrupulous landlord.-Career:Rachman was born Perec Rachman in Lvov, Poland in 1919,...
, who deceived both Barber and her parents: this affair was subsequently to provide the basis for a memoir by Barber and a movie (see Career below).
She read English Language and Literature at St Anne's College, Oxford. While at Oxford she was "briefly" the girlfriend of drug smuggler Howard Marks
Howard Marks
Dennis Howard Marks is a Welsh author and former drug smuggler who achieved notoriety as an international cannabis smuggler through high-profile court cases, supposed connections with groups such as the CIA, the IRA, MI6, and the Mafia, and his eventual conviction at the hands of the American Drug...
, but met David Maurice Cloudesley Cardiff, whom she married in 1971; they had two daughters. Cardiff died in August 2003.
In 2010, listeners to BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs
Desert Island Discs
Desert Island Discs is a BBC Radio 4 programme first broadcast on 29 January 1942. It is the second longest-running radio programme , and is the longest-running factual programme in the history of radio...
heard Barber admit to sleeping with 'probably 50 men' during two terms at Oxford. 'It was quite good going - I was just jamming them in,' she said.
Career
Barber worked for PenthousePenthouse (magazine)
Penthouse, a men's magazine founded by Bob Guccione, combines urban lifestyle articles and softcore pornographic pictorials that, in the 1990s, evolved into hardcore. Penthouse is owned by FriendFinder Network. formerly known as General Media, Inc. whose parent company was Penthouse International...
magazine for seven years until 1974, being successively editorial assistant, literary editor, features editor and deputy editor; she left to have children. From 1982-89 she was a feature writer on the Sunday Express magazine and joined The Independent on Sunday in 1990. Barber has also written for Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
, The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times (UK)
The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper, distributed in the United Kingdom. The Sunday Times is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International, which is in turn owned by News Corporation. Times Newspapers also owns The Times, but the two papers were founded...
, The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
and The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
from 1996 to 2009. Best known for her interviews, she was once quoted by Will Self
Will Self
William Woodard "Will" Self is an English novelist and short story writer. His fictional style is known for being satirical, grotesque, and fantastical. He is a prolific commentator on contemporary British life, with regular appearances on Newsnight and Question Time...
as describing her method as "start[ing] ... from a position of really disliking people, and then compel[ling] them to win you over." An interview with the conceptual artists Jake and Dinos Chapman
Jake and Dinos Chapman
Iakovos "Jake" Chapman and Konstantinos "Dinos" Chapman are English visual artists, often known as the Chapman Brothers, who work together as a collaborative sibling duo...
was not a success: the Chapman Brothers have threatened to kill her if they ever meet again.
Barber has won five British press awards. Her books include two collections of interviews, Mostly Men and Demon Barber, a sex book How to Improve Your Man in Bed, and a survey of Victorian popular natural history writers, The Heyday of Natural History.
In 2006, Barber was one of the judges for the Turner Prize
Turner Prize
The Turner Prize, named after the painter J. M. W. Turner, is an annual prize presented to a British visual artist under the age of 50. Awarding the prize is organised by the Tate gallery and staged at Tate Britain. Since its beginnings in 1984 it has become the United Kingdom's most publicised...
and wrote an article in The Observer critical of some aspects of the judging process. She currently appears on TV in Grumpy Old Women
Grumpy Old Women
For the live show, see Grumpy Old Women LiveGrumpy Old Women is a British television series, continuing in the same vein as its predecessor, Grumpy Old Men. Both programmes are shown on BBC Two. The first two series were narrated by Alison Steadman, and the third by Judith Holder...
.
Barber's memoir of her teenage love affair, An Education, was published in June 2009. Its genesis was in a short piece on a similar theme that Barber wrote for British literary magazine Granta
Granta
Granta is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centers on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story’s supreme ability to describe, illuminate and make real." In 2007, The Observer stated, "In its blend of...
. Nick Hornby
Nick Hornby
Nick Hornby is an English novelist, essayist and screenwriter. He is best known for the novels High Fidelity, About a Boy, and for the football memoir Fever Pitch. His work frequently touches upon music, sport, and the aimless and obsessive natures of his protagonists.-Life and career:Hornby was...
adapted this short article into a film of the same name
An Education
An Education is a 2009 British coming-of-age drama film, based on an autobiographical article in Granta by British journalist Lynn Barber. The film was directed by Lone Scherfig from a screenplay by Nick Hornby, and stars Carey Mulligan as Jenny, a bright schoolgirl, and Peter Sarsgaard as David,...
, made by BBC Films
BBC Films
BBC Films is the feature film-making arm of the BBC. It has produced or co-produced some of the most successful British films of recent years, including An Education, StreetDance 3D, Fish Tank, Stage Beauty, A Cock and Bull Story, Nativity! and Match Point.It aims to make strong British films with...
and released in October 2009, and available on video from March 2010. In the meantime Barber had expanded the Granta article into her memoir; Hornby did not use Barber's book as source material for the film, just the Granta article.
It was announced in September 2009 that Barber would return to The Sunday Times later in the year writing for its magazine.
In July 2011, Barber was successfully sued by Sarah Thornton
Sarah Thornton
Sarah Thornton is a writer and sociologist of culture. Her early work was about clubs, raves, music taste and cultural hierarchies. Thornton has authored and edited works about subcultures. She now writes principally about art, artists and the art market...
for libel and malicious falsehood over Barber's review of Seven Days in the Artworld that was published in the Daily Telegraph of 1 November 2008.
External links
- Barber's contributions at The ObserverThe ObserverThe Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...