Sir Harold Hobson

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, (4 August 1904 – 12 March 1992) was an

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drama critic and author.

Early life and education

Hobson was born in

Thorpe Hesley Thorpe Hesley is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, lying east of the M1 motorway at junction 35. The village has been included within the boundaries of Rotherham town since 1894, having previously be ...

near

Rotherham Rotherham () is a large minster and market town in South Yorkshire, England. The town takes its name from the River Rother which then merges with the River Don. The River Don then flows through the town centre. It is the main settlement of ...

then in the

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

, England. He attended Sheffield Grammar School, from where he gained a scholarship to

Oriel College Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, w ...

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

, graduating with a second-class degree in Modern History in 1928.

Career

In 1931, he began to write London theatre reviews for ''

The Christian Science Monitor ''The Christian Science Monitor'' (''CSM''), commonly known as ''The Monitor'', is a nonprofit news organization that publishes daily articles in electronic format as well as a weekly print edition. It was founded in 1908 as a daily newspaper ...

''. In 1935, he was employed on the paper's staff, remaining its London drama critic until 1974. He was an assistant literary editor for ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, w ...

'' from 1944 and later became its drama critic (1947–76). Hobson was the only drama critic to recognise the early Harold Pinter's talent as a dramatist and wrote of '' The Birthday Party'': "I am willing to risk whatever reputation I have as a judge of plays by saying ... that Mr Pinter, on the evidence of this work, possesses the most original, disturbing and arresting talent in theatrical London." During his career, he was to champion many other new playwrights, especially John Osborne, Samuel Beckett and

Tom Stoppard Sir Tom Stoppard (born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and politi ...

. Hobson also wrote for ''Drama'' and '' The Listener'' and was a regular member of the

BBC radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...

programme ''The Critics''. He was invited by Peter Hall to join the board of the National Theatre. He wrote books relating to British and French theatre, including his autobiography ''Indirect Journey'' (1978), and a personal history based on his work as a drama critic, ''Theatre in Britain'' (1984). He also wrote a novel, ''The Devil in Woodford Wells'' (1946). Harold Hobson was made a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

in 1971, and knighted in 1977.

References

1904 births 1992 deaths British male journalists British theatre critics Knights Bachelor The Sunday Times people Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford The Christian Science Monitor people People from Rotherham People educated at Sheffield Grammar School Commanders of the Order of the British Empire {{UK-journalist-stub