Anthony Holden (born 22 May 1947) is an English writer, broadcaster and

critic A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governmen ...

, particularly known as a biographer of artists including

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

, the essayist

Leigh Hunt James Henry Leigh Hunt (19 October 178428 August 1859), best known as Leigh Hunt, was an English critic, essayist and poet. Hunt co-founded '' The Examiner'', a leading intellectual journal expounding radical principles. He was the centr ...

, the opera librettist

Lorenzo Da Ponte Lorenzo Da Ponte (; 10 March 174917 August 1838) was an Italian, later American, opera librettist, poet and Roman Catholic priest. He wrote the libretti for 28 operas by 11 composers, including three of Mozart's most celebrated operas: ''The Marr ...

and the actor

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...

, and of members of the British royal family, notably

Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

. He has also published translations of opera and Ancient Greek poetry, as well as several autobiographical books about poker. In 2009, he was elected the first President of the International Federation of Poker (IFP).

Life

Anthony Ivan Holden was born in

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Irish ...

, Lancashire, and educated at

Oundle School Oundle School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) for pupils 11–18 situated in the market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire, England. The school has been governed by the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City ...

and

Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is one of the Colleges of Oxford University, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the ...

, where he read English language and literature, edited the student magazine ''

Isis Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingd ...

'' and appeared on ''

University Challenge ''University Challenge'' is a British television quiz programme which first aired in 1962. ''University Challenge'' aired for 913 episodes on ITV from 21 September 1962 to 31 December 1987, presented by quizmaster Bamber Gascoigne. The BBC ...

''. A journalist before turning full-time writer, at the start of his career as a graduate trainee on Thomson Regional Newspapers' '' Hemel Hempstead Evening Post-Echo'', Holden covered the trial in St Albans of the psychopathic poisoner,

Graham Young Graham Frederick Young (7 September 1947 – 1 August 1990), best known as the Teacup Poisoner and later the St Albans Poisoner, was an English serial killer who used poison to kill his victims. Obsessed with poisons from an early age, Young be ...

. His book on the case, ''The St. Albans Poisoner'' (1974), was filmed as ''

The Young Poisoner's Handbook ''The Young Poisoner's Handbook'' is a 1995 black comedy-drama film based on the life of Graham Young, more commonly known as "The Teacup Murderer". It was directed by Benjamin Ross and written by Ross and Jeff Rawle. The film stars Hugh O'Conor ...

'' (1995). Named Young Journalist of the Year in 1972, he was on the staff of ''

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, whi ...

'' (1973–79), commended in the British Press Awards in 1976 as News Reporter of the Year for his work in Northern Ireland, and winning Columnist of the Year in 1977. He was Washington Correspondent and US editor of ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

'' (1979–81), Assistant Editor of ''

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'' (fou ...

'' (1981–82), Executive Editor, ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 A ...

'', (1985–86), and chief classical music critic of ''

'' (2002–08). In 1999–2000 he was an inaugural Fellow of the Center for Scholars and Writers at the

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...

. When he was a

Whitbread Prize The Costa Book Awards were a set of annual literary awards recognising English-language books by writers based in UK and Ireland. Originally named the Whitbread Book Awards from 1971 to 2005 after its first sponsor, the Whitbread company, then ...

judge in 2000 he said it would have been a "national humiliation" if ''

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and is the third in the ''Harry Potter'' series. The book follows Harry Potter, a young wizard, in his third year at Hogwarts School of W ...

'' had won, ahead of

Seamus Heaney Seamus Justin Heaney (; 13 April 1939 – 30 August 2013) was an Irish poet, playwright and translator. He received the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature.

's translation of ''

Beowulf ''Beowulf'' (; ang, Bēowulf ) is an Old English epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and most often translated works of Old English literature. The ...

''. He had threatened to resign if that happened. The novelist Robert Harris derided this threat as "pompous". Holden was a member of the Board of Governors of the

South Bank Centre Southbank Centre is a complex of artistic venues in London, England, on the South Bank of the River Thames (between Hungerford Bridge and Waterloo Bridge). It comprises three main performance venues (the Royal Festival Hall including the Natio ...

2002–08, during the landmark renovation programme under the chairmanship of

Lord Hollick Clive Richard Hollick, Baron Hollick (born 20 May 1945) is a British businessman with media interests, and a supporter of the Labour Party. Early life and career Hollick was born in Southampton, the son of Olive Mary (''née'' Scruton) and ...

. Since 2006, he has been a Trustee of Shakespeare North Trust. In May 2015, he gave the annual A.E. Housman lecture on the Name and Nature of Poetry at the Hay-on-Wye Festival. He has also made frequent appearances on television, presenting such documentaries as ''Charles at Forty'' (ITV, 1988), ''Anthony Holden on Poker'' (

BBC 2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

, 1991) and ''Who Killed Tchaikovsky?'' ('' Omnibus'',

BBC 1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

, 1993). In the mid-1980s, he presented a weekly BBC Radio 4 chat show, ''In the Air''. Holden's papers are collected at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center The Mugar Memorial Library is the primary library for study, teaching, and research in the humanities and social sciences for Boston University. It was opened in 1966. Stephen P. Mugar, an Armenian immigrant who was successful in the grocery b ...

. He is a dedicated

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

fan and has a season ticket to the Emirates. Holden's maternal grandfather was

Ivan Sharpe Ivan Gordon Sharpe (15 June 1889 – 9 February 1968) was an English amateur association football, footballer. Although an amateur himself, he played for several professional clubs, including Watford F.C., Watford, Derby County F.C., Derby Coun ...

, the England international footballer and Olympic gold medallist who later became a celebrated sports writer. He has been married twice, and has three sons and four grandchildren.

Poker

Holden is a keen

poker Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, however in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game w ...

player, and spent a year playing professionally while researching his 1990 book '' Big Deal: A Year as a Professional Poker Player'' (), which has been praised by poker enthusiasts from

David Mamet David Alan Mamet (; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, filmmaker, and author. He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony Award, Tony nominations for his plays ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1984) and ''Speed-the-Plow'' (1988). He first ...

and

Salman Rushdie Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie (; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British-American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern and Wes ...

Walter Matthau Walter Matthau (; born Walter John Matthow; October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American actor, comedian and film director. He is best known for his film roles in '' A Face in the Crowd'' (1957), ''King Creole'' (1958) and as a coach of a ...

. The book covers his experiences between the World Series of Poker (WSOP)

tournaments A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

and

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

. In 2007, Holden published '' Bigger Deal: A Year Inside the Poker Boom'' (), a journal of his second stint as a professional player, between the

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

and

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

WSOP events. In 2000, he won TV's first Celebrity ''

Late Night Poker ''Late Night Poker'' is a British television series that helped popularize poker in the 2000s. It used "under the table" cameras that enabled the viewer to see each player's cards. The show originally ran for six series between 1999 and 2002 ...

'' on Channel 4, beating

Al Alvarez Alfred Alvarez (5 August 1929 – 23 September 2019) was an English poet, novelist, essayist and critic who published under the name A. Alvarez and Al Alvarez. Background Alfred Alvarez was born in London, to an Ashkenazic Jewish mother and a ...

Martin Amis Martin Louis Amis (born 25 August 1949) is a British novelist, essayist, memoirist, and screenwriter. He is best known for his novels ''Money'' (1984) and ''London Fields'' (1989). He received the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his memoir '' ...

Victoria Coren Victoria Elizabeth Coren Mitchell (' Coren; born ) is a British writer, TV presenter and professional poker player. Coren Mitchell writes weekly columns for '' The Telegraph'' and has hosted the BBC television quiz show '' Only Connect'' since ...

Ricky Gervais Ricky Dene Gervais ( ; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. He co-created, co-wrote, and acted in the British television sitcoms ''The Office'' (2001–2003), '' Extras'' (2005–2007), and '' An Idiot Abroad' ...

Patrick Marber Patrick Albert Crispin Marber (born 19 September 1964) is an English comedian, playwright, director, actor, and screenwriter. Early life Marber was born and raised in a middle-class Jewish family in Wimbledon, London, the son of Angela (Benjam ...

and

Stephen Fry Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director and writer. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring ...

. In 2005, he appeared on the chat show ''

Heads Up with Richard Herring ''Heads Up with Richard Herring'' or ''HUWRH'', is a British celebrity chat show written by and starring Richard Herring, who is best known as one half of comedy duo Lee and Herring, the stars of BBC Two shows ''Fist of Fun'' and '' This Morning ...

'' to discuss his life, career and his love of poker. In 2006 he represented England in TV's World Cup of Poker, staged by

PokerStars PokerStars is an online poker cardroom that was a part of The Stars Group until it was sold to Flutter Entertainment on May 5, 2020. It can be accessed through downloadable poker clients for the Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. It is the large ...

, for whom he was a sponsored player 2006–2008. In 2009, he was elected the first President of the International Federation of Poker (IFP) at its founding congress in

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...

, Switzerland. After four years in office, he resigned in April 2013.

Works

*''

Aeschylus Aeschylus (, ; grc-gre, Αἰσχύλος ; c. 525/524 – c. 456/455 BC) was an ancient Greek tragedian, and is often described as the father of tragedy. Academic knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Greek ...

Agamemnon In Greek mythology, Agamemnon (; grc-gre, Ἀγαμέμνων ''Agamémnōn'') was a king of Mycenae who commanded the Greeks during the Trojan War. He was the son, or grandson, of King Atreus and Queen Aerope, the brother of Menelaus, the husb ...

'' (1969, translator and editor) *''Greek Pastoral Poetry'' (1973, translator and editor) *''The Greek Anthology'' (1973, contributor) *''The St Albans Poisoner: The Life And Crimes Of Graham Young'' (1974, reissued 1995 as ''

'') *''Charles: Prince of Wales'' (1979); published as ''Prince Charles'' in US *''Their Royal Highnesses, The Prince and Princess of Wales'' (1981) *''A Week In The Life Of The Royal Family'' (1983) *''Great Royal Front Pages: A Scrapbook of Historic Royal Events from Queen Victoria to Baby Prince William'' (1983) *''Anthony Holden's Royal Quiz'' (1983) *''Of presidents, Prime Ministers And Princes'' (1984) *''Queen Mother'' (1985) *''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; Vienna (1788) title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanis ...

: The Translation'' (1987, with Amanda Holden) *''

: A Biography'' (1988, reissued 2007) *''Charles: A Biography'' (1988); published as ''King Charles III'' in US *''The Last Paragraph. The Journalism of

David Blundy David Michael Blundy (21 March 1945 – 17 November 1989), was a British journalist and war correspondent killed by a sniper at the age 44 in El Salvador. Blundy, 44, was the Washington reporter for the London ''Sunday Correspondent'' newspaper. ...

'' (1990, editor) *'' Big Deal: A Year as a Professional Poker Player'' (1990) *''The Queen Mother: A 90th Birthday Tribute'' (1990) *''A Princely Marriage: Charles & Diana, the First Ten Years'' (1991) *''Behind The Oscar: The Secret History of the Academy Awards'' (1993) *''H.M.

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was the l ...

In Private'' (1993) *''The Tarnished Crown'' (1993), Viking Publishers, . *''

'' (1995) *''Diana: Her Life and Legacy'' (1997) *''Charles at Fifty'' (1998) *''

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

: His Life and Work'' (1999) *''Liber Amicorum for Frank Kermode'' (1999, editor with Ursula Owen) *''The Mind Has Mountains: a.alvarez@lxx'' (1999, editor with

Frank Kermode Sir John Frank Kermode, FBA (29 November 1919 – 17 August 2010) was a British literary critic best known for his 1967 work '' The Sense of an Ending: Studies in the Theory of Fiction'' and for his extensive book-reviewing and editing. He was ...

) *''The Drama of Love, Life and Death in Shakespeare'' (2000) *''Shakespeare: An Illustrated Biography'' (2002) *''The Wit in the Dungeon'' (2005), biography of

* ''All In: Texas Hold'em as Played on Late-Night TV'' (2005) *''

, The Man Who Wrote Mozart'' (2006) *''Olivier'' (2007, Max Press) * '' Bigger Deal: A Year on the New Poker Circuit'' (2007) *''Holden on Hold'Em'' (2008) *''Poems That Make Grown Men Cry'' (2014, editor with Ben Holden) *''Poems That Make Grown Women Cry'' (2016, editor with Ben Holden) *''He Played For His Wife and other stories'' (2017, editor with Natalie Galustian) *''Based on a True Story: A Writer's Life'' (2021)

References

External links

Holden's articles for ''The Observer''Holden discusses his biography of Shakespeare with ''Charlie Rose''
(originally broadcast July 31, 2000)
Shakespeare North
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holden, Anthony 1947 births Living people Alumni of Merton College, Oxford British biographers British male journalists British republicans English poker players British gambling writers Contestants on University Challenge British social commentators Game players from Merseyside People from Southport Male biographers Tchaikovsky scholars Shakespearean scholars