W. Sydney Robinson (born 16 April 1986) is a British biographer and book reviewer. He was educated at Harrow School, the University of Manchester and the University of Cambridge, where he was a Research Associate between 2013 and 2015.
Biographer
He is best known as the authorized biographer of the Academy Award-winning screenplay writer and dramatist
Sir Ronald Harwood. The book, ''Speak Well of Me: the authorized biography of Ronald Harwood'' was published by Oberon Books in May 2017 and charts Harwood's life from his impoverished childhood as part of a large Jewish family in South Africa to his years of success in the West End and Hollywood. Reviewing the book in ''The Times'' of London, theatre critic
Benedict Nightingale described it as 'engaging' and 'entertaining'. The reviewer in the ''Jewish Chronicle'', however, described it as 'wincingly florid' and 'egregious'.
Published works
Robinson has also published biographies of the Victorian investigative journalist
W. T. Stead
William Thomas Stead (5 July 184915 April 1912) was a British newspaper editor who, as a pioneer of investigative journalism, became a controversial figure of the Victorian era. Stead published a series of hugely influential campaigns whilst ed ...
, ''Muckraker: the scandalous life and times of Britain's first investigative journalist'', and a group biography of
Sir William Joynson-Hicks,
Dean Inge,
Lord Reith and
Sir Arthur Bryant
Sir Arthur Wynne Morgan Bryant, (18 February 1899 – 22 January 1985) was an English historian, columnist for ''The Illustrated London News'' and man of affairs. His books included studies of Samuel Pepys, accounts of English eighteenth- and ...
, ''The Last Victorians: a daring reassessment of four twentieth century eccentrics''. ''Muckraker'' was awarded the Political Biography of the Year Award at the 2013 Total Politics and Paddy Power Political Book Awards and was included in the 'Books of 2012' selection in ''The Sunday Times''. In a review of ''The Last Victorians'' in ''The Spectator'', biographer and historian
Philip Ziegler commented that 'Robinson has real talent'.
Robinson has reviewed books in ''The Sunday Times'', the ''TLS'', the ''Spectator'' and the ''Literary Review''.
Life
He lives in Northamptonshire and teaches full-time at
Oundle.
[School, Oundle (2019-2020). "Oundle School Blue Book." Oundle School. Retrieved 18 September 2021.]
References
External links
How I Write by W. Sydney RobinsonNo Regrets: A Biographer's CelebrationAnn Widdecombe presents W. Sydney Robinson with Political Biography of the Year Award
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, W. Sydney
1986 births
Living people
Teachers of Oundle School
People educated at Harrow School
British biographers