The ''London Review of Books'' (''LRB'') is a British
literary magazine published twice monthly that features articles and essays on
fiction
Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a tradi ...
and
non-fiction
Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with b ...
subjects, which are usually structured as
book reviews.
History
The ''London Review of Books'' was founded in 1979,
[ when publication of '']The Times Literary Supplement
''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp.
History
The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...
'' was suspended during the year-long lock-out at ''The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ( ...
''.Karl Miller
Karl Fergus Connor Miller FRSL (2 August 1931 – 24 September 2014) was a Scottish literary editor, critic and writer.
Miller was born in the village of Loanhead, Midlothian, and was educated at the Royal High School of Edinburgh and Downing ...
, then professor of English at University College London
, mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £143 million (2020)
, budget = ...
; Mary-Kay Wilmers
Mary-Kay Wilmers, Hon. FRSL (born 19 July 1938) is an American editor and journalist. She was the editor of the ''London Review of Books'' from 1992Brooks, Richard"''London Review of Books'' £27m in the red – but it isn’t counting" ''The T ...
, formerly an editor at ''The Times Literary Supplement''; and Susannah Clapp
Susannah Clapp (born 1949) is a British writer, who has been the theatre critic of ''The Observer'' since 1997 and is a contributor to the BBC Radio 3 '' Nightwaves'' programme.
Clapp read English at the University of Bristol, where one of her tea ...
, a former editor at Jonathan Cape
Jonathan Cape is a London publishing firm founded in 1921 by Herbert Jonathan Cape, who was head of the firm until his death in 1960.
Cape and his business partner Wren Howard set up the publishing house in 1921. They established a reputation ...
. For its first six months, it appeared as an insert in ''The New York Review of Books
''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of i ...
''. It became an independent publication in May 1980. Its political stance has been described by Alan Bennett, a prominent contributor, as "consistently radical".
Unlike ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (TLS), the majority of the articles the ''LRB'' publishes (usually fifteen per issue) are long essays. Some articles in each issue are not based on books, while several short articles discuss film or exhibitions. Political and social essays are frequent. The magazine is headquartered in Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions.
Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest ...
, London.[
In January 2010, ''The Times'' wrote that the ''London Review'' was £27M in debt to the Wilmers' family trust, although the trust had "no intention of the lender seeking repayment of the loan in the near future".
In 2011, when Pankaj Mishra criticised Niall Ferguson's book ''Civilisation: The West and the Rest'' in the ''LRB'', Ferguson threatened to sue for libel.][
]
Contributors
Contributors have included:
See also
* Literary criticism
Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. ...
References
Further reading
* Elizabeth Day
"Is the ''LRB'' the best magazine in the world?"
''The Guardian'', 9 March 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
External links
*
London Review Bookshop
{{Authority control
Biweekly magazines published in the United Kingdom
Book review magazines
Literary magazines published in the United Kingdom
Magazines established in 1979
Magazines published in London
Political magazines published in the United Kingdom
The New York Review of Books