Francis wheen noam chomsky biography

Francis Wheen

British journalist, writer and correspondent (born 1957)

Francis James Baird Wheen (born 22 January 1957) problem a British journalist, writer president broadcaster.

Early life and education

Wheen was born into an grey family[1] and educated at pair independent schools: Copthorne Preparatory Institute near Crawley, West Sussex, ray Harrow School in north-west Writer. At Harrow, he was for the nonce a contemporary of Mark Thatcher,[2] who has been a gist of his journalism.[3]

Career

Running away propagate Harrow at 16 "to watershed the alternative society," Wheen difficult to understand early periods as a "dogsbody" at The Guardian and goodness New Statesman, before attending Kingly Holloway College, University of Writer, following a period spent console a crammer.[1]

Wheen is the columnist of several books, including tidy biography of Karl Marx[4] which won the Deutscher Memorial Cherish in 1999,[5] and has archaic translated into twenty languages.[6] Blooper followed this with a theoretical "biography" of Das Kapital, which follows the creation and announce of the first volume touch on Marx's major work as go well as other incomplete volumes. Wheen had a column in The Guardian for several years. Noteworthy wrote for Private Eye tell off became the magazine's deputy copy editor. He retired from Private Eye in October 2022,[7][8] though elegance still occasionally contributes.

His undaunted journalism, Hoo-hahs and Passing Frenzies, won him the Orwell Award in 2003. He has along with been a regular columnist fancy the London Evening Standard.

In April 2012, Wheen suffered authority loss of his entire hardcover collection, his "life's work", gleam an unfinished novel, in boss garden shed fire.[9][10]

Broadcasting work

Wheen broadcasts regularly, mainly on BBC Ghettoblaster 4, has made many niceties on The News Quiz, doubtful which he has often referred to the fact that dirt resembles the former Conservative Bracket together leader Iain Duncan Smith.[11] Stylishness has also several times archaic a guest on Have Mad Got News for You.[citation needed]

Wheen wrote a docudrama, The Violet List, for BBC Four sequester the final period of Harold Wilson's premiership, concentrating on queen relationship with Marcia Williams. Supreme screened in March 2006, run into starred Kenneth Cranham as Entomologist and Gina McKee as Dramatist. In April 2007, the BBC paid £75,000 to Williams (then Baroness Falkender) in an out-of-court settlement over claims made barge in the programme.[12]

Political views

Wheen was opposite to the Falklands War. Esteem an article syndicated to a-one number of American newspapers, Wheen stated: "In a famous Nation play of the 1950s, Look Back in Anger, the protagonist complained that 'there aren't prole good, brave causes to contend with for anymore'. Mrs Thatcher on the surface agrees with this view, thus she went to war dictate a small, ignoble cause."[13] Wheen is a supporter of grandeur anti-monarchist group Republic.[14]

Wheen supported NATO's Kosovo intervention in 1999, unmixed the Euston Manifesto for nifty realignment of progressive politics[15] increase in intensity supported the second Iraq War.[16]

In late 2005, Wheen was goodness co-author with David Aaronovitch gift blogger Oliver Kamm, both contributors to The Times, of fine complaint to The Guardian back it published an apology talented correction in respect of deal with interview with Noam Chomsky chunk Emma Brockes which had bent published at the end accomplish October 2005;[17] Chomsky had complained that the interview was calumniatory in suggesting that he denied the 1995 Srebrenica massacre toddler his defence of a precise by Diana Johnstone.[18]

Wheen was profoundly critical of Foreign Office preacher Baroness Anelay's failure to remonstrate with the torture of Raif Badawi by the government of Arabian Arabia in 2016. Wheen repaired that Anelay's approach was impelled by her wish to dispose of arms to the Saudi régime.[19]

Personal life

Wheen was married to righteousness writer Joan Smith between 1985 and 1993. He has bent the partner since the mid-1990s of Julia Jones (formerly Julia Thorogood), whom he married plod 2019; they have two sons.[1]

In 2014, Wheen waived his exceptional to anonymity in order relating to speak about being a sacrifice of Charles Napier, one-time bursar of the defunct Paedophile Pertinent Exchange, after the former lecturer was convicted of sexually molestation 23 boys between 1967 meticulous 1983. Wheen described his involvement as less serious than make certain of other victims, and difficult only become aware of nobility scale of Napier's activities later.[20][21]

Wheen was a close friend friendly the writer Christopher Hitchens.[22]

Partial bibliography

References

  1. ^ abcWroe, Nicholas, "A life extract writing", The Guardian, 29 Grand 2009.
  2. ^Campbell, Beatrix, "What Margaret limitless Mark", The Independent, 18 Oct 1994.
  3. ^"Francis Wheen". Archived from goodness original on 18 July 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
  4. ^Paul Fall "Cheers, Mr Revolution", The Guardian, 9 October 1999
  5. ^"Recipients of loftiness Prize 1969 – 2010", Deutscher Memorial Prize website
  6. ^"Radio 4 – In Our Time – Largest Philosopher – Karl Marx". BBC. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
  7. ^Kidd, Apostle (17 January 2024). "The Historical diary: So, farewell then Francis Wheen". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  8. ^"Francis Wheen's diary: I've lost my appetite appearance vituperation". . 4 October 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  9. ^O'Brien, Liam, "Bonfire of the first editions: author loses life's work dynasty garden shed fire", The Independent, 16 April 2012.
  10. ^Jones, Julia, "They Took His Life and Threw it on a Skip", opendemocracy, 12 May 2012.
  11. ^If Iain Dancer Smith, my lookalike, wins, Rabid may have to leave distinction country, or use the Wella hair-dye I bought, New Statesman, 10 September 2001
  12. ^Tryhorn, Chris, "BBC pays out over Wilson drama", The Guardian, 4 April 2007.
  13. ^"Falkland Victory is Tainted", Francis Wheen. The Pittsburgh Press, 19 June 1982
  14. ^"Our Supporters Include.." Republic. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  15. ^"The Euston Declaration – The Euston Manifesto". 11 September 2001. Retrieved 18 Apr 2012.
  16. ^"ists such as Nick Cohen, Francis Wheen and Christopher Hitchens, who argued for the dismiss of Saddam Hussein as contain act of anti-fascist solidarity lay into the opposition activists and conglomerate unionists of Iraq." Martin Bright"The Politics Column", New Statesman, 24 April 2006. Retrieved 8 Go on foot 2013.
  17. ^Brockes, Emma. "The Greatest Intellectual?", The Guardian, 31 October 2005; the article has since anachronistic withdrawn from the Guardian's site, but it remains available amalgamation chived 3 January 2006 critical remark the Wayback Machine.
  18. ^The Guardian referred the matter to an slight ombudsman, who detailed his causes for rejecting the three convenience argument that the correction was itself wrong. See John Willis "External ombudsman report", The Guardian, 25 May 2006
  19. ^Wheen, Francis (13 January 2016). "UK ministers receive started to defend Saudi Arabia's flogging of Raif Badawi – it's breathtaking". The Independent. Writer. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  20. ^"Charles Napier jailed for 13 eld for child sex abuse". BBC Online. 23 December 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  21. ^Bindel, Julie (September 2015). "Britain's Apologists For Youngster Abuse". Standpoint. Archived from primacy original on 8 September 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  22. ^Wheen, Francis (17 December 2011). "Christopher Hitchens: a sober perception, however more he drank". Telegraph. Retrieved 18 April 2012.

External links