obit
John le Carré obituary
Writer whose spy novels chronicle how people’s lives play out in the corrupt setting of the cold war era and beyond
John le Carré, who has died aged 89 of pneumonia, raised the spy novel to a new level of seriousness and respect.
He was in his late 20s when he began to write fiction – in longhand, in small red pocket notebooks, on his daily train journey between his home in Buckinghamshire and his day job with MI5, the counter-intelligence service, in London. After the publication of two neatly crafted novels, Call for the Dead (1961) and A Murder of Quality (1962), which received measured reviews and modest sales, he hit the big time with The Spy Who Came in from the Cold [ . . . ]
Continue at THE GUARDIAN: John le Carré obituary
Obituary: Jan Morris, a poet of time, place and self
She was an award-winning journalist and author with more than 40 books under her belt.
Jan Morris, who has died at the age of 94, was one the finest writers the UK has produced in the post-war era.
Her life story was crammed with romance, discovery and adventure. She was a soldier, an award-winning journalist, a novelist and – as a travel writer – became a poet of time and place.
She was also known as a pioneer in her personal life, as one of the first high-profile figures to change gender. Continue reading
Obituary: John Hume
As SDLP leader, John Hume played a major role in bringing about Northern Ireland’s peace process.
When the IRA called a ceasefire in August 1994, it was greeted with jubilation and relief across Northern Ireland.
Despite enormous criticism, Hume always defended his decision to talk to Sinn Féin in order to build that peace process.
While many people were involved, the SDLP leader’s role was crucial.
“Politics,” he once said, “is the alternative to war.”
John Hume’s involvement in the cauldron of Northern Ireland politics began on the streets of his home city, Londonderry, where he was born in 1937.
Post-war education reforms enabled him to win a scholarship to the local grammar school and he trained briefly for the priesthood, before returning to work as a teacher.
John Hume on the streets during the earliest confrontations in Derry
Drawn into public life, Hume began to campaign on issues such as housing and helped set up a credit union in his native city. But more traumatic times lay ahead. Continue reading
Alan Parker, Versatile Film Director, Is Dead at 76
“Midnight Express” and “Mississippi Burning” brought him Oscar nominations, and many of his other films, including “Fame” and “The Commitments,” were acclaimed.
Alan Parker, who was nominated for the best-director Oscar for the 1978 film “Midnight Express” and again 10 years later for “Mississippi Burning,” died on Friday in South London. He was 76.
His death followed a long, unspecified illness, a spokeswoman for the British Film Institute said.
Read full story at NY TIMES: Alan Parker, Versatile Film Director, Is Dead at 76