W. Sydney Robinson (born 16 April 1986) is a British biographer and book reviewer. He was educated at Harrow School, the University of Manchester and the University of Cambridge, where he was a Research Associate between 2013 and 2015.
Biographer
He is best known as the authorized biographer of the Academy Award-winning screenplay writer and dramatist
Sir Ronald Harwood. The book, ''Speak Well of Me: the authorized biography of Ronald Harwood'' was published by Oberon Books in May 2017 and charts Harwood's life from his impoverished childhood as part of a large Jewish family in South Africa to his years of success in the West End and Hollywood. Reviewing the book in ''The Times'' of London, theatre critic
Benedict Nightingale
William Benedict Herbert Nightingale (born 14 May 1939) is a British journalist, formerly a regular theatre critic for ''The Times'' newspaper. He was educated at Charterhouse and Magdalene College, Cambridge. His first published theatre review ...
described it as 'engaging' and 'entertaining'. The reviewer in the ''Jewish Chronicle'', however, described it as 'wincingly florid' and 'egregious'.
Published works
Robinson has also published biographies of the Victorian investigative journalist
W. T. Stead
William Thomas Stead (5 July 184915 April 1912) was a British newspaper editor who, as a pioneer of investigative journalism, became a controversial figure of the Victorian era. Stead published a series of hugely influential campaigns whilst ed ...
, ''Muckraker: the scandalous life and times of Britain's first investigative journalist'', and a group biography of
Sir William Joynson-Hicks,
Dean Inge,
Lord Reith and
Sir Arthur Bryant, ''The Last Victorians: a daring reassessment of four twentieth century eccentrics''. ''Muckraker'' was awarded the Political Biography of the Year Award at the 2013 Total Politics and Paddy Power Political Book Awards and was included in the 'Books of 2012' selection in ''The Sunday Times''. In a review of ''The Last Victorians'' in ''The Spectator'', biographer and historian
Philip Ziegler
Philip Sandeman Ziegler (born 24 December 1929) is a British biographer and historian.
Background
Born in Ringwood, Hampshire, Ziegler was educated at St Cyprian's School, Eastbourne, and went with the school when it merged with Summer Field ...
commented that 'Robinson has real talent'.
Robinson has reviewed books in ''The Sunday Times'', the ''TLS'', the ''Spectator'' and the ''Literary Review''.
Life
He lives in Northamptonshire and teaches full-time at
Oundle
Oundle () is a market town on the left bank of the River Nene in North Northamptonshire, England, which had a population of 5,735 at the time of the 2011 census. It is north of London and south-west of Peterborough. The town is home to Ound ...
.
[School, Oundle (2019-2020). "Oundle School Blue Book." Oundle School. Retrieved 18 September 2021.]
References
External links
How I Write by W. Sydney RobinsonNo Regrets: A Biographer's CelebrationAnn Widdecombe presents W. Sydney Robinson with Political Biography of the Year Award
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, W. Sydney
1986 births
Living people
Teachers of Oundle School
People educated at Harrow School
British biographers