Ivan Kinsman's Blog - Posts Tagged "seattle"
The author Jonathan Raban
Jonathan Raban is a British travel writer, critic and novelist known for his candid accounts of travelling the world in books such as Coasting, in which he restores an old boat and sails single-handedly around Britain, Old Glory, recounting his travels down the Mississippi in a 16-foot aluminium 'Mirrorcraft', and Hunting Mister Heartbreak, describing his travels across America, and Passage to Juneau in which he takes his yacht along the Inside Passage from Seattle to Juneau. This last book also has some remarkable passages describing the death of his father and his rather uncomfortable family reunion, along with the breakup of his marriage - his third wife - so it is particularly personal.
Born in Norfolk in 1942, Raban's family had little income but several “upper-middle-class connections: coat-of-arms, one-time country house”. “We belonged nowhere,” he wrote in his 1986 book Coasting. “We had the money of one lot, the voices of another – and we had an unearthly goodliness which removed us from the social map altogether.”
He attended the University of Hull – where he formed a university libary committee of one to have meetins with the reclusive Philip Larkin – and went into academia at the University of East Anglia. But he spent his vacations writing fiction and journalism, and eventually moved to London aged twenty-seven to become a freelance writer,
In his obituary in The Guardian (18.01.2023), Sian Cain writes - which I think sums up the author very well:
'His blending of personal crises, sharp observations of people he met and beautiful passages about countries and seas earned Raban acclaim and prizes over his career. The New York Times once called him “a sort of English Capote: vivid, funny, accurate, full of hyperbolic wit and outrageous metaphor; no reticence at all. But at least as important is the author’s ability to make an instant connection with virtually any human being whomsoever.”
Some took issue with his vivid and often harsh descriptions of the people he encountered, befriended and sometimes romanced on his trips. “How are you going to report life if you report it as a series of wonderful people?” Raban once wrote to the Washington Post, in reply to a particularly offended critic. “Some people are repulsive. Some are lovable.”'
Jonarthan Raban sadly died at the age of 80 in January 2023. Although he seemed to feel far more comfortable living in America, he is a uniquely British writer in his outlook and one of the best of his generation. He will be sadly missed. Jonathan Raban
Born in Norfolk in 1942, Raban's family had little income but several “upper-middle-class connections: coat-of-arms, one-time country house”. “We belonged nowhere,” he wrote in his 1986 book Coasting. “We had the money of one lot, the voices of another – and we had an unearthly goodliness which removed us from the social map altogether.”
He attended the University of Hull – where he formed a university libary committee of one to have meetins with the reclusive Philip Larkin – and went into academia at the University of East Anglia. But he spent his vacations writing fiction and journalism, and eventually moved to London aged twenty-seven to become a freelance writer,
In his obituary in The Guardian (18.01.2023), Sian Cain writes - which I think sums up the author very well:
'His blending of personal crises, sharp observations of people he met and beautiful passages about countries and seas earned Raban acclaim and prizes over his career. The New York Times once called him “a sort of English Capote: vivid, funny, accurate, full of hyperbolic wit and outrageous metaphor; no reticence at all. But at least as important is the author’s ability to make an instant connection with virtually any human being whomsoever.”
Some took issue with his vivid and often harsh descriptions of the people he encountered, befriended and sometimes romanced on his trips. “How are you going to report life if you report it as a series of wonderful people?” Raban once wrote to the Washington Post, in reply to a particularly offended critic. “Some people are repulsive. Some are lovable.”'
Jonarthan Raban sadly died at the age of 80 in January 2023. Although he seemed to feel far more comfortable living in America, he is a uniquely British writer in his outlook and one of the best of his generation. He will be sadly missed. Jonathan Raban
