Martyn Goff
Martyn Goff, CBE (7 June 1923 – 25 March 2015)[1] was a British literary administrator, author, and bookseller. He made a significant contribution to the organisation and popularity of the Booker Prize for many years, and was involved in efforts to increase literacy and book ownership, particularly among children.
Background
[edit]Born in 1923, he grew up in Hampstead, London. His father, Jacob Gulkov (anglicised: Gee Morton Goff), was a Russian fur dealer who had emigrated to Britain and became a supplier to department stores.[2] After studying at Clifton College[1] in Bristol, he won a place at Oxford University to study English.[1] Goff was demobilised in 1946.[3]
Personal life and honours
[edit]Goff is said to have acquired, and relished, a reputation as a dandy.[1] His partner, Rubio Tapani Lindroos, a Finnish poet who moved to London in 1970, died in 2014.[1][3]
Goff was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1977 and promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2005.[1] In 2003, Oxford Brookes University awarded him an honorary doctorate.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f "Martyn Goff, Obituary". The Times. 27 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- ^ "Martyn Goff: Author Biography". Valancourt Books. Archived from the original on 14 September 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
- ^ a b Trewin, Ion (27 March 2015). "Martyn Goff, Obituary". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 29 March 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- ^ "Martyn Goff dies". The Bookseller. 26 March 2015. Archived from the original on 29 April 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
- 1923 births
- 2015 deaths
- British writers
- Royal Air Force personnel of World War II
- Writers from the London Borough of Camden
- British booksellers
- British arts administrators
- Booker Prize
- British gay writers
- Royal Air Force airmen
- Officers of the Order of the British Empire
- Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
- People from Hampstead