Gesa Stedman mourns the death of Michael Bond, inventor of the Paddington bear stories. Michael Bond has died aged 91. Although well-known to many, his fame is by far outdone by his famous creation, Paddington bear, who arrived at Paddington Station from “Darkest Peru” in 1958. In his blue duffle-coat, […] Read more
Derek Walcott has died at the age of 87 on the Caribbean island of St Lucia. He was one of the best-known Caribbean writers, famous for his poetry and his plays. He published about 20 poetry collections and 30 plays and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1992 […] Read more
The creator of Princess Smartypants, Babette Cole, has died aged 67, following complications after a collapsed lung. Known and beloved by everyone whose sense of humour is a little whacky, and by children and parents who prefer their reading irreverent and subversive, she will be sorely missed. In particular her […] Read more
One of Berlin’s legendary booksellers, Robert Kiepert, has died aged 88. From 1912 onwards, the Kiepert family were key players in Berlin’s bookshop scene with Robert Kiepert entering the family firm in 1956. Most famous was the enormous, sprawling but wonderful bookshop in Charlottenburg, housed in the equally famous “Haus […] Read more
Lord Weidenfeld, formerly of Weidenfeld & Nicolson, has died, aged 96. One of the last “gentlemen” publishers, his death marks the end of an era. George Weidenfeld was born to middle-class Jewish parents in 1916, in Vienna. He fled Austria during the Nazi period, and established himself in Britain. In […] Read more
