The Maverick

£25.00

After arriving in London just before the Second World War as a penniless and friendless Austrian-Jewish refugee, George Weidenfeld went on to transform not only the world of publishing but the culture of ideas. The books that he published include momentous titles such as ‘Lolita’, ‘Double Helix’, ‘The Group’ and ‘The Hedgehog and the Fox’, with authors he championed ranging from Joan Didion, Mary McCarthy, Golda Meir and Edna O’Brien to Henry Miller, Harold Wilson, Saul Bellow and Henry Kissinger. In this biography, Thomas Harding provides a full, unvarnished and at times difficult history of this complex and fascinating character.

In stock

Description

A New York Times Critics’ Pick for 2023

Born into a Jewish family in Vienna in 1919, George Weidenfeld fled to England in 1938 to escape the Nazi regime. There he began a career in publishing that would make him one of the most influential figures in the industry. Over the course of his long and illustrious career he championed some of the most important voices of the twentieth century, from Vladimir Nabokov, Mary McCarthy and Saul Bellow to Harold Wilson, Isaiah Berlin and Henry Kissinger.

But what do we know about the man himself? Was he, as described by some, the ‘greatest salesperson’, ‘the world’s best networker’, ‘the publisher’s publisher’ and ‘a great intellectual’? Was his lifelong effort to be the world’s most famous host a cover for his desperate loneliness? Who, in fact, was the real George Weidenfeld and how did he rise so successfully within the ranks of London and New York society? Providing a full, unvarnished and at times difficult history of this complex man, this first biography of a titan of culture is also a story of resilience, determination and the power of ideas to shape history.

Additional information

Weight 566 g
Dimensions 236 × 160 × 36 mm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Hardback

Pages

336

Language

English

Edition
Dewey

070.5092 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K