John Gross

For the American musician, see John Gross (musician). For the member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, see John Franklin Gross.

John Gross
Born(1935-03-12)12 March 1935
London, England, United Kingdom
Died10 January 2011(2011-01-10) (aged 75)
OccupationAuthor
LanguageEnglish
Alma materWadham College, Oxford
SpouseMiriam Gross
ChildrenTom Gross, Susanna Gross
RelativesJohn Preston (son-in-law)
Kurt May (father-in-law)

John Gross FRSL (12 March 1935 – 10 January 2011)[1][2][3] was an English man of letters. A leading intellectual, writer, anthologist, and critic,[4] The Guardian (in a tribute titled "My Hero")[5] and The Spectator were among several publications to describe Gross as "the best-read man in Britain".[6] The Guardian's obituarist Ion Trewin wrote: "Mr Gross is one good argument for the survival of the species",[7] a comment Gross would have disliked since he was known for his modesty. Charles Moore wrote in The Spectator: "I am left with the irritated sense that he was under-appreciated. He was too clever, too witty, too modest for our age."[8]

Gross was the editor of The Times Literary Supplement from 1974 to 1981, senior book editor and book critic on the staff of The New York Times from 1983 to 1989,[9] and theatre critic for The Sunday Telegraph from 1989 to 2005. He also worked as assistant editor on Encounter and as literary editor of The New Statesman and Spectator magazines.

  1. ^ Kimball, Roger (15 January 2011). "A Tonic, Humane and Civilizing Force". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  2. ^ Grimes, William (12 January 2011). "John Gross Dies at 75; Critic, Essayist and Editor". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  3. ^ "John Gross". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  4. ^ Richmond, Theo (12 March 2001). "At the Mile End of the rainbow". Evening Standard. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  5. ^ "My hero: Victoria Glendinning on John Gross". the Guardian. 15 January 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  6. ^ "Ready for take-off" "The Oxford Book of Parodies | John Gross (Editor) | Review by the Spectator". Archived from the original on 27 May 2010. Retrieved 29 August 2010. (By Bevis Hillier, The Spectator, 19 May 2010)
  7. ^ The Guardian, John Gross obituary, By Ion Trewin, The Guardian, 11 January, 2011
  8. ^ (12 January 2011)
  9. ^ Articles by John Gross for The New York Times.