Sean O'Hagan is an Irish writer for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' and ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

'', his specialty being photography.

Early life and education

O'Hagan was brought up in

Armagh Armagh ( ; , , " Macha's height") is a city and the county town of County Armagh, in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Primates of All ...

, Northern Ireland, during "

The Troubles The Troubles () were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed t ...

", and has written about the experience. As an undergraduate, he studied English in London.

Career

He began his media career as a writer for ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'', '' The Face'' and ''

Arena An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...

'', and during this period became interested in photography. As of 2013, he is one of six regular "Art and design" critics for ''

'' website, and the only photography critic among the six. O'Hagan is a nominator for the Prix Pictet Award in photography and sustainability.For the Prix Pictet nominators, se
Nominators: Prix Pictet
prixpictet.com; accessed 21 January 2014. The term " new lad" was coined by O'Hagan in a 1993 article in ''Arena.'' On 18 March 2003, O'Hagan received the 2002 British Press Award for Interviewer of the Year.The award is often described as having been for 2003; as an example, se
"British Press Awards: Past winners"
, PressGazette.co.uk, 29 November 2007. Retrieved 19 January 2014. In 2011, O'Hagan was the sole recipient of the J. Dudley Johnston AwardFor the J Dudley Johnston Award, se
J Dudley Johnston Award
Royal Photographic Society website. Retrieved 19 January 2014. from the

Royal Photographic Society The Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain, commonly known as the Royal Photographic Society (RPS), is the world's oldest photographic society having been in continuous existence since 1853. It was founded in London, England, in 1853 as th ...

"for major achievement in the field of photographic criticism".

Publications

Books paired with one other

*'' Faith, Hope, and Carnage''. Edinburgh: Canongate, 2022. With

Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian musician, writer, and actor who fronts the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Known for his baritone voice, Cave's music is characterised by emotional intensity, a wide variety ...

Books with contributions by O'Hagan

*''Everything was Moving: Photography from the 60s and 70s.'' London: Barbican Art Gallery, 2012. . Edited by Kate Bush and Gerry Badger. O'Hagan contributes the essays "The unreal everyday: William Eggleston's America" and "Against detachment: Bruce Davidson's photographs of America during the Civil Rights Era".

Notes

References

External links

The power of photography: Time, mortality and memory
. ''The Guardian'', 19 May 2013.
Links
to articles (behind paywall) since 1984 by O'Hagan about music.
'Sean O’Hagan: "If you don’t annoy some people some of the time, you’re not doing your job properly!"'
- interview with O'Hagan, 1000 Words Photography Magazine Blog, 2014. {{DEFAULTSORT:OHagan, Sean 20th-century births Living people Columnists from Northern Ireland Irish music critics Journalists from Northern Ireland Magazine writers Male non-fiction writers from Northern Ireland People from Armagh (city) Photography critics The Guardian journalists