august august english journalist author broadcaster described times famous journalist day son poor jewish family london won scholarship independent school christ hospital went graduating short spell job bbc selecting press use programmes secured post junior member editorial staff weekly periodical truth reviewed television wrote weekly political column spectator noted influence modern parliamentary sketches 1960s wrote columns week daily_mail subject chose disagreement proprietor paper attempted censorship column moved times break year remained resident columnist retirement covering wide range topics comic known broadcaster weekly satirical television week early 1960s musical finally series travel programmes 1980s began write books 1970s publishing early 1990s developed disease eventually forced regular column stop writing altogether long life career early years born london second child son tailor jewish descent wife rose née abandoned family moved south_africa children brought help maternal grandparents emigrated lithuania turn 20th century wrote childhood home religious grandfather read scriptures struggled little english grandmother read language lit appropriate days mother religious sign secular hardly religion father guardian death wrote grandparents stories life russia passionate belief freedom individual lasted life return grew older read bernard read hebrew capable cook household fed acquired interest food adult life regular themes journalism cuisine traditional jewish fried fish cornerstone repertoire chicken boiled soup adult retained love jewish passion french cuisine household especially musical piano taught play bought son violin paid lessons convinced destined half years gave relief experience music time later frequent topic writing bright child encouraged mother worked hard win scholarship independent school christ hospital countryside near boom school head classics strict bullying teacher feared loved pupils learned classics retained lifelong love latin quotations writing battled fronts christ hospital jew church_of_england establishment poor family slight stature utterly indifferent sport adopted stance hanging school window celebrate labour victory local streets school conspicuous uniform including tight attracted unwanted attention biographer writes period iron soul christ hospital thriving musical life concerts school orchestra members included contemporary listened seriously music time food school according better found late teens sought best restaurants afford hoped university_of_cambridge times wrote considered material accepted studied talents recognised encouraged including deep affection prevent comic skilled wrote student newspaper beaver range subjects opera lifelong having graduated worked briefly tour guide joined bbc job read newspapers weekly magazines selecting articles useful broadcasting journalism applied job weekly periodical truth paper recently taken liberal publisher new editor determined previous right wing racist reputation noticeably jewish surname skills acquired gained immediate acceptance offered post general editorial exactly looking year evans left succeeded deputy promoted scott place wrote paper variety including truth invited write column manchester guardian itv britain commercial television channel launched describes television reviews notably times wrote took shotgun let loose barrels gave opening programmes review fourth day commercial television beginning teeth apart different brands cake mix patent spare network cliché succeeded cliché mentally deaf ears little difficulty leaving double money richer entered network days attributed viewing figures number people sufficiently stupid derive pleasure programmes spectator found disagreement truth support anglo french military action proprietor editor long established weekly spectator invited join staff left truth political correspondent spectator declared expert politics advised review review television wrote column pseudonym corrupt political insider novel followed advice guardian said father modern parliamentary sketch sketch writers basically mps job convey voters majesty legislators remind surpassing importance predecessor published collected works glory parliament truck nonsense said later treated old place theatre watching row stalls glass champagne hand politicians liked politicians like category wounded invented nicknames wrote later wish think calling sir sir sir sir elevated lord renamed lord work spectator wrote wide range subjects campaign release arabs imprisoned british authorities supporting publication banned novel lover retired lord chief justice lord led secret meeting senior judges prosecuted criminal libel prosecution accusations bias relatively recently claimed justified remaining proprietor stepped editor succeeded deputy took assistant editor later year general election victory gave column despair concurrently work spectator drama critic theatrical circles outspoken modelled reviewing style musical reviews late 19th century gave fellow critic edition collected criticism writing inside cover hope come phrases stolen quiet discouraged hopes succeeding editor left spectator daily express drama critic daily_mail remained years wrote columns week subject choice television years early 1960s known known face meeting london publisher immediately recognise looks sixteen thought little boy brought fun jewish hair intelligent talk invited appear regularly bbc television new weekly late night satirical revue week delivered camera pet hates conducted interviews appearing tiny figure taking noisy giants debate programme short discussed run transmitted live added impact prone disruption twice assaulted air husband actress reviewed severely woman water bbc television screened new musical presented ran intermittently frequent panel member published book called years subtitle britain summed subject self contained chapters considered aspects british life decade topics prominent people including dubbed carpenter institutions monarchy churches british_empire days individual events examined book student riots prosecution publishers lover interest developed work years compiled index book swore mighty oath finished task die particularly unpleasant manner contrived include index joke expense prosecutor trial found difficulty great champion wrote articles subject reviewing books point praising good condemning bad ones times june general election campaign fell daily_mail lord son contract guaranteed absolute freedom write chose conservative attempted censor support major party labour resigned immediately received offers guardian times join columnist found point wild notion suggesting write simultaneously end chose times giving reason liberal guardian line politics conservative times wrote comfortably grain paper worked times adds decision better offered paper times appointment company car large splendid office paper building printing house square london accepted drive hated isolated desk editor office location kept closely touch daily affairs paper gave ready access editor developed good friendship brief write columns week later subject wished range published volumes selected journalism covered subjects diverse death watch beetle wagner censorship theatrical nudity weeks joining times provoked lawsuit controversy march article titled profit fleet street accusing conduct personal merger daily_mail daily sketch libel action brought settled court substantial cost proprietor times lord months later controversy followed renewed condemnation lord immediately death legal profession closed ranks defended reputation attacks denouncing lords parker death times published article opining information public strongly supported criticisms time lawyers took revenge ensuring candidacy membership london club favoured lawyers journalists daily_mail generally restricted words articles times licence spread appeared longest sentence appear newspaper words proud affected outraged india wrote sentence considerably longer maintained construct impromptu sentence subordinate clauses native islands speaking english manner born followed labyrinth trying find way wrote matters series mock articles sex lives times wrote matters grave moral importance denouncing authoritarian regimes left right observed barred governments concerned entering soviet_union lands empire hand south_africa constitute pair campaign medals wear considerable pleasure profound suspicion wearing wrote regularly arts music theme notorious addiction wagner favourite composers included wrote performers admired including turned regularly visual arts views clear cut expressed wrote pre exhibition life exclusively exhibition seen rubbish place time knowledge love literature reflected writings best known pieces long influence shakespeare everyday discourse begins understand argument declare greek quoting shakespeare claim quoting shakespeare recall days quoting shakespeare act sorrow anger wish father thought lost property vanished thin air quoting shakespeare appeared edition new later known relationship developed wrote death wasn big love life mentor writer role model rejected judaism youth spirituality religious sympathies said like buddhism hand straightforward message salvation like christianity help continued search spiritual truth later wrote tried therapy tried insight self awareness helped bring london tried stint india lesser souls avoided ridicule spiritual search simply keeping didn touched write wrote extensive accounts column visit indian meditation teacher commissioned bbc visit musical festivals world broadcasting series talks visited festivals britain ireland continental europe australia later wrote book subject time published longer age remained deeply love children wanted marry father concluded break away moved new_york 1980s took times bought paper succeeded editor evans friends publicly stated preference appointed year evans fell evans left editor write columns week returning paper october began column words thing mirrored opening publication times resumed strike lasting nearly year column begun word 1980s sufficiently known subject satire satirical itv image high flown discussion known intellectual sketch entitled talk political views moving right longer writing grain newspaper come admire rest party political position years changing views feelings altered come question simple complex world profound contempt published autobiography book published consists chapters principal pleasures books pictures cities walking shakespeare music food drink spiritual mystery book dedicated enthusiasm remained loving friends rest life contains sentence far earlier word effort times starting page ending pages later lists restaurants europe asia america 1980s television series channel footsteps screened showed walking presumed route taken invaded italy programme followed mile journey crossing italy valley remained true declared intention forms transport walked way exception crossing rowing small boat followed end rhine following rhine sources switzerland estuary north joined swiss citizen army manoeuvres visited swiss german border lake attended opera took waters visited manufacturers cologne paid tribute series walk fifth avenue new_york series encountered extremes wealth poverty met wide variety people famous including sword bag lady wrote books based series published respectively years began difficulty balance early disease diagnosed early 1990s september times column appeared weekly instead twice january editor concluded despite great admiration weekly column cease retired continued write paper occasionally year decade partner journalist took care long phase illness died westminster london aged buried london memorial service held church sir delivering eulogy described faithful tolerance injustice declared pen sword easier write honours appointed services journalism instituted award given journalist author writings support president vice president honorary fellow member conferred polish government exile obituary tribute times described famous journalist day
Bernard Levin