The outstanding quality of Richard Hoggart's new book is its warmth. In the style of Montaigne, Hoggart looks back over his years and pinpoints those human qualities which have come to mean most to him and which he has appreciated in others. Part of this man's attraction derives from the fact that he is also extremely self-effacing. Literacy and the use of language remain an abiding concern of Professor Hoggart but he also analyses in these pages the nature of human courage, the uses of memory, the true purposes of education, love and charity, and the approach of the Grim Reaper. Throughout, Hoggart considers the public ideas and events which have interested him, and their intertwinings with his personal life. Examples would be- the family, politics, the intellectual life, beliefs and morals, words and writing. All of these are looked at through what the author describes as his 'time telescope'. Thus this book is not a theoretical or abstract record. Its argument is illustrated from life. We live in the age of the cult of youth and personality. Our lives are increasingly driven and influenced by The Media.But in these pages is contained the wisdom of one of the most astute and perceptive of our contemporary critics - a literary, social and cultural judge who is also very greatly loved by his admirers.

After years of experience, scholarship and accumulated wisdom, here is Richard Hoggart's intellectual autobiography.

About the Author
Richard Hoggart is a distinguished cultural critic and author of The Uses of Literacy, his most celebrated book. Formerly Professor of English at Birmingham he has sat on many government advisory committees and was Chairman of the National Book League.

Reviews
"'A revealing and amusing book... although he writes as an agnostic, he returns again and again to Christianity.' Church Times 'Part of the book's charm is its unpredictability. You can never be sure what is waiting for you as you turn the page... a beguiling melange of anecdote and consideration... we can be grateful for Richard Hoggart's unemphatic words.' Times Literary Supplement '...modest and engaging.' Blake Morrison - The Guardian"



Book Information
ISBN 9780826482730
Author Richard Hoggart
Format Paperback
Page Count 160
Imprint Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd.
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Weight(grams) 180g