Melvyn Bragg
Making the Grade
Who on earth wants a biography almost 300 pages long on Michael Grade? Certainly not Michael Grade who refused to cooperate with the author. I am a little surprised at some of those who did, given the lottery of such unauthorised essays. The result is an unbalanced account which lists to where it found most access, takes secondary sources such as Docherty’s book on LWT as gospel, and fails to grapple thoroughly with the most fascinating aspect of Michael Grade – his childhood and his family background.
With these reservations, Mihir Bose has written a readable and serviceable account of Grade’s career as an agent and television executive. The ‘battles’ – which would scarcely register in the wider world of the Literary Review but are folklore in media salons – are described with relish; ‘Snatch’ of the
Sign Up to our newsletter
Receive free articles, highlights from the archive, news, details of prizes, and much more.@Lit_Review
Follow Literary Review on Twitter
'Perhaps, rather than having diagnosed a real societal malaise, she has merely projected onto an entire generation a neurosis that actually affects only a small number of people.'
@HoumanBarekat on Patricia Lockwood's 'No One is Talking About This'.
https://literaryreview.co.uk/culturecrisis
*Offer ends in TWO days*
Take advantage of our February offer: a six-month subscription for only £19.99.
https://www.mymagazinesub.co.uk/literary-review/promo/literaryfebruary/
'Nourished on a diet of exceptionalism and meritocracy, millennials internalised the harmful falsehood that hard work necessarily yields success. The very least they should settle for is a "cool job", one that ... is the focus of their "passion".'
https://literaryreview.co.uk/workers-twerkers