Regretfully, I never kept a detailed diary, but I do have cuttings from over the years, particularly with regard to the poetry and jazz concerts, and possess many letters from those who participated, which I was able to refer to – among them Dannie Abse, Laurie Lee, Ted Hughes, Stevie Smith, Lydia Pasternak Slater, Thomas Blackburn, Vernon Scannell and Adrian Mitchell. The remarkable Michael Garrick’s autobiography, Dusk Fire, also reminded me of stories that had escaped my memory. In compiling the various anthologies I edited, I also found myself in friendly correspondence with a number of the poets involved, whose observations and contributions I have taken the liberty of drawing on briefly in discussing those books.
Apart from where specifically mentioned, virtually all the photos and pictorial material in this book come from my own archives, but I would like to thank the following for generous permission to include their photographs here: Gemma Levine, who covered a number of early Robson Books events; Roger Dixon, who covered the Muhammad Ali tour for us; KT Bruce for the pictures taken at the Oxford and Blenheim Festivals, for which she is the official photographer; Anna Ford and her daughter Katie Boxer for kind permission to include Mark Boxer’s Times cartoon of Alfred Brendel; Peter Brookes for his generosity in giving me the cartoon that accompanies my poem ‘The Cartoonist’s Glasses’; Brian Davies for his photos from the Hungerford Festival; John Hopkins, who covered a number of readings, especially those for Centre 42, and gave me a number of exceptional photos taken at these for my personal use; my ex-Aldus colleague Ken Coton, who also covered many of our concerts and provided me with copies of his superb photos; Cecily Ben-Tovim for her arresting cover illustration for the Poetry Returns to Hampstead programme; Mark Lewisohn, Beatles expert, for photos he took at our Gibraltar concert, which he recorded; Michael Finberg for various party photos and kindnesses over the years.
I’m particularly grateful to my publisher – to my fastidious editor Olivia Beattie, who handled the ever-growing manuscript I handed over (and the many photos!) with skill and care; to Namkwan Cho, for his stylish jacket and design; to Iain Dale for wanting to publish my book despite the poetry; to Isabelle Ralphs, the company’s lively and switched-on publicist; and to James Stephens, sales director and friend who virtually runs the company these days and whose great ability and initial enthusiasm drew me to Biteback when I was virtually committed elsewhere.
I owe a special thank-you to all the fine poets who participated in Poetry and Jazz in Concert over the years and helped to make it such a success. It was a privilege to read and share a platform with them, as it was with all the fabulous musicians who performed alongside us and added so much.
Finally, my warmest thanks to all those many authors who trusted us over the years with their work. Without authors, there can be no publisher, and that is something I’ve tried to remember right from the beginning.
INDEX
Illustrations are in italic.
Jeremy Robson is referred to as JR.
100 Club, London 1, 2, 3
Abbot, Russ 1
Abse, Dannie 1 author 1, 2
background 1
and Blackburn 1
career 1, 2
character 1, 2, 3, 4
death of Joan 1
family 1, 2
and Hobsbaum 1
and Hughes 1
illness and death 1
and JR 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
later life 1
and Lowell 1
poet 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
travels 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Abse, David 1
Abse, Joan character 1
death 1
editor 1
and Hughes 1
marriage and children 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Abse, Keren 1, 2, 3
Abse, Leo 1, 2, 3
Abse, Wilfred 1
ADAM International 1
Adie, Kate 1
Agran, Linda 1
Al Fayed, Mohamed 1, 2
Alam, Tarikul 1, 2, 3
Aldus Books 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Alexander QC, Robert 1
Ali, Lonnie 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Ali, Muhammad 1, 2, 3
Alliance, David 1
Allison & Busby 1
Allison, Clive 1, 2
Alvarez, Al 1
Am Oved (publisher) 1, 2
Amazon 1
Amichai, Hannah 1
Amichai, Yehuda 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Amin, Idi 1
Amis, Kingsley 1, 2, 3
Anglesey, Marquess of 1
Anova (publisher) 1, 2
Archer, Jeffrey 1
Arden, Don 1
Argyll, Duchess of 1
Aris, Brian 1
Arrau, Claudio 1
Arts Council 1, 2
Asch, Jacob 1
Ashcroft, Lord 1
Ashmead, Larry 1
Aspel, Michael 1, 2
Aster, Howard 1
Astrop, John 1
Atherton, David 1, 2
Auden, W. H. 1
Aurum Books 1
B. A. Woolf and Co. 1
Baez, Joan 1
Barbara (Geldray’s partner) 1, 2, 3
Barling, Taffy 1
Barnes, Colin 1
Barrymore, Cheryl 1
Barrymore, Michael 1
Barton, Neil 1, 2
Bartov, Hanoch 1, 2, 3, 4
Bastedo, Alexandra 1
Bate, Professor Sir Jonathan 1
Bates, Alan 1
Bath, Marquess of 1
Batsford (publisher) 1
Beach, Sylvia 1
Beattie, Olivia 1
Bechet, Sidney 1
Beer, Rachel 1
Belfast Festival 1
Bell, Martin 1
Ben-Gurion, David (B-G) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Ben-Gurion, Paula 1, 2, 3
Ben-Tovim, Arnon 1, 2, 3
Ben-Tovim, Atarah 1
Ben-Tovim, Cecily 1, 2, 3, 4
Bennett, Alan 1
Bentine, Clementina 1
Bentine, Michael 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Berg, Jack ‘Kid’ 1, 2
Bermant, Chaim 1
Bermant, Judy 1
Bernard, André 1
Bernard, Jeffrey 1
Bertelsmann (publisher) 1
Bevan, Aneurin 1
Bevin, Ernest 1
Beyond the Fringe 1
Bialik, Chaim Nahman 1
Bidermanas, Izis 1, 2
Bikel, Theodore 1
Bingham, Howard 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Bird, John 1
Biteback Publishing 1, 2
Black, Don 1
Black, Hillel 1, 2
Blackburn, Julia 1
Blackburn, Natasha 1
Blackburn, Thomas 1, 2, 3
Blair, Tony 1
Blond, Anthony 1
Blunden, Edmund 1
Bolchover, David 1
Book Club Associates 1, 2
Booker, Christopher 1
BookExpo 1
Borges, Jorge Louis 1
Borgnine, Ernest 1, 2
Borgnine, Tova 1
Boston, Ray 1, 2, 3
Boteach, Shmuley 1, 2
de Botton, Alain 1
de Botton, Ben 1, 2, 3
de Botton, Carole see Robson, Carole (née de Botton)
de Botton, Gilbert 1
de Botton, Jocy 1, 2
Boulaye, Patti 1
Boulez, Pierre 1
Bounds, Buddy 1
Bourne, Dr Aleck 1
Boxer, Mark 1
Bramall, Lord 1
Brambell, Wilfrid 1
Brandeth, Gyles 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Brandy (family dog) 1
Brash, Edward 1, 2
Braun, Wernher von 1
Brawer, Professor Moshe 1, 2
Braziller, George 1
Brendel, Alfred 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Brittan, Leon 1, 2, 3, 4
Bron, Eleanor 1
Brookes, Angela 1
Brookes, Pe
ter 1, 2
Brooks, Elkie 1, 2, 3
Brough, Louise 1
Brough, Peter 1
Brown, Georgia 1
Brown, Janet 1
Brown, Pete 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Brownjohn, Alan 1, 2, 3
Burgess, Guy 1
Burton, Richard 1
Busby, Margaret 1, 2
Bush, Charlotte 1
Bygraves, Max 1
Byrne, Paula 1
Byrne, Tony 1
Bywater, Michael 1
Caine, Sir Michael 1, 2, 3
Caine, Lady Shakira 1, 2
Callan, Gerry 1
Callil, Carmen 1, 2, 3
Cameron, David 1, 2, 3
Canetti, Elias 1
Canongate (publisher) 1
Cardew, Cornelius 1
Cardiff City FC 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Carey, Lord George 1
Carman, George 1
Carmi, T. 1, 2, 3
Caron, Leslie 1, 2
Carr, Ian 1, 2, 3, 4
Carroll, Diahann 1
Carson, Johnny 1
Carter-Ruck (law firm) 1
Cartland, Dame Barbara 1
Cass, Frank 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Castle, Fiona 1, 2
Castle, Roy 1
Castro, Guido 1, 2
Causley, Charles 1
Cawthorn, Peter 1
Celan, Paul 1
Celly, Jean-Jacques 1
Centre 42 festivals 1, 2, 3
Chagall, Bella 1
Chagall, Marc 1
Chagall, Vava 1
Chapman, Ian 1
Charles, Prince 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Chatto & Windus 1, 2
Checketts, Sir David 1, 2, 3
Cheetham, Anthony 1
ChildLine 1
Chris (driver) 1
Chrysalis Books 1, 2
Church, Richard 1
Cilento, Diane 1
Cleese, John 1
Clements, Richard 1
Clifford, Max 1, 2, 3
Cliveden House Hotel 1
Clooney, Rosemary 1
Clyne, Jeff 1
Coe, Tony 1, 2
Cohen, David 1, 2, 3
Cohen, Joseph 1
Cohen, Leonard 1, 2
Colley, Mark 1
Collins, Dame Joan 1, 2
Conquest, Robert 1
Constantine, Jan 1
Constantine, Lloyd 1
Conti, Tom 1, 2, 3
Cooper, Henry 1, 2, 3, 4
Cooper, Leo 1
Cooper, Mr (Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School) 1
Coppard, Kit 1
Coren, Alan author 1, 2, 3
character 1, 2
and Collins 1
and JR 1
Punch 1
Coren, Anne 1, 2
Coren, Giles 1, 2, 3, 4
Coren, Victoria 1, 2
Corgi Books 1
da Costa, Susan 1, 2
Cott, Jonathan 1
Coudenhove, Count Hans 1
Cowan, Theo 1
Cowell, Simon 1
Croft, Andrew 1
Cryer, Barry 1
Dacre, Paul 1, 2
Daiches, David 1, 2
Dale, Iain 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Dalyell, Tam 1
Dankworth, Jacqui 1, 2, 3
Dankworth, Sir John 1
Davidson, Lionel 1
Davis, Elizabeth see Rose, Elizabeth
Davis, William 1, 2
Dawson, Charlotte 1
Dawson, Les 1, 2
Dawson, Tracy 1
Day-Lewis, Cecil 1
Day, Robin 1
Dayan, Moshe 1, 2
Dennis, Nigel 1, 2
Deutsch, André 1
Devine, George 1
Dietrich, Marlene 1
Dixon, Louise 1, 2
Dixon, Roger 1
Dobson, Dennis 1
Dodd, Ken 1
Donegan, Lonnie 1
Dostoevsky, Fyodor 1
Doubleday (publisher) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Duffy, Carol Ann 1
Dundee, Angelo 1, 2
Dundy, Elaine 1
Dunn, John 1
Dunne, Tom 1, 2
Dunsmore, Sally 1, 2, 3
Durrell, Lawrence 1
East, John M. 1
Eastaway, Rob 1
Eastwood, Barney 1, 2
Eden, Sir Anthony 1
Edwards, Jimmy 1, 2
Eliot, T. S. 1, 2, 3, 4
Elizabeth II, Queen 1
Emery, Dick 1
Emery, Dick 1
Encounter 1, 2, 3
Enright, Dennis 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Eubank, Chris 1
Evans, Lord Matthew 1
Faber & Faber 1, 2, 3
Fabergé, Carl 1, 2
Facetti, Germano 1
Fainlight, Ruth 1
Fairbanks Jr, Douglas 1, 2
Fairbanks, Vera 1, 2
Falkender, Baroness Marcia see Williams, Marcia
Fallon, Ivan 1, 2
Fearnside, Carolyn 1, 2, 3
Feldman, Marty 1
Fermor, Patrick Leigh 1
Fields, Mr (B. A. Woolf and Co.) 1, 2
Finch, Tim 1
Fishwick, Clifford 1
Foges, Catherine 1
Foges, Peter 1
Foges, Wolfgang character 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
and JR 1, 2
publisher 1, 2, 3, 4
Foot, Michael 1, 2, 3
Forsyth, Frederick 1
Foyle, Christina 1
Foyle, Christopher 1
Frame-Smith, Ms 1, 2, 3
France 1
Frank, Professor Joseph 1, 2
Frankel, William 1, 2
Frankfurt Book Fair 1, 2, 3, 4
Franklin, Stanley 1
Fraser, Helen 1
Frazier, Joe 1, 2, 3, 4
Freeman, John 1
Friedlander, Evelyn 1
Friedlander, Rabbi Dr Albert 1
Frost, David 1, 2
Galton, Ray 1
Gambaccini, Paul 1
Garland, Patrick 1
Garrick Club 1, 2
Garrick, Michael autobiography 1
career 1
concerts 1, 2, 3
and Harriott 1
illness and death 1
JR’s wedding 1
musician, composer 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
and Scannell 1
Gasson, Roy 1
de Gaulle, Charles 1
Geldray, Max 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Geller, Uri 1
Geoghegan, Susanna 1
George, Susan 1
Gibraltar Literature Festival 1
Gibson, Percy 1, 2
Gilboa, Amir 1
Ginsberg, Allen 1
Giraldi, Franco 1
Glikes, Erwin 1
Gluck, Felixart editor 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and Bentine 1
book designer 1, 2
character 1
and Foges 1
publisher 1
Glums, The 1
Gold, David 1
Gold, Edward 1, 2, 3, 4
Gold, Ralph 1
Gombrich, Sir Ernst 1, 2
Goode, Coleridge 1, 2, 3
Goon Show 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Gordey, Beverly 1, 2
Gordey, Michel 1
Gordey, Serge 1
Gouri, Haim 1
Graf, Herman 1
Grafton, Jimmy 1
Grappelli, Stéphane 1
Grayling, Professor A. C. 1
Grayshott Hall 1
Green, Barry 1
Green, Benny 1, 2
Green, Dave 1, 2, 3, 4
Green, Philip 1
Green, Toni 1
Greenslade, Wallace 1
Grigson, Geoffrey 1
Grindea, Miron 1
Gross, John 1
Gryn, Hugo 1, 2, 3
Gutteridge, Reg 1
Guttmann, Béla 1
Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School 1, 2
/>
Ha’ezrachi, Yehuda 1
Hamermesh, Mira 1
Hamilton, Christine 1
Hamilton, Neil 1
Hampstead and Highgate Express 1
Hanoch, Yehudith 1
Harding, Mike 1, 2
Harkavy, Anthonyand JR 1, 2 musician 1, 2, 3
solicitor 1, 2, 3
Harrap, Ian 1
Harrap publishing 1, 2
Harriott, Joecharacter 1, 2, 3, 4 and Garrick 1
musician 1, 2, 3, 4
tribute concert 1
Harrison, Rex 1
Harrison, Tony 1
Hart, Bernard 1, 2, 3
Harty, Russell 1
Hattersley, Lord Roy 1
Hauser, Thomas 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Healey, Lord Denis 1
Heaney, Seamus 1, 2, 3, 4
Heath-Stubbs, John 1, 2
Hecht, Ernest 1, 2
Heckstall-Smith, Dick 1
Heller, Peter 1
Hellmore, Mr 1
Herman, Josef 1
Herriot, James 1
Herzog, Chaim 1
Hill, Douglas 1 career 1, 2
character 1
Under Cover Page 46
