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Gaby Wood, Hon.
FRSL The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the ...
(born 1971), is an English journalist, author and literary critic who has written for publications including ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
'', ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'', ''
London Review of Books The ''London Review of Books'' (''LRB'') is a British literary magazine published bimonthly that features articles and essays on fiction and non-fiction subjects, which are usually structured as book reviews. History The ''London Review of Book ...
'', ''
Granta ''Granta'' is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centres on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story's supreme ability to describe, illuminate and make ...
'', and '' Vogue''. She is the literary director of the Booker Prize Foundation, appointed in succession to
Ion Trewin Ion Courtenay Gill Trewin (13 July 1943 – 8 April 2015) was a British editor, publisher and author. Biography Born in London, the son of J. C. Trewin and Wendy Trewin (''née'' Monk), Ion Trewin was educated at Highgate School. He was the l ...
and having taken over the post at the conclusion of the prize for 2015.Jennifer (20 April 2015)
"Booker Prize Foundation Hints at New Direction with Appointment of Gaby Wood as Literary Director"
Books Live, ''Sunday Times''.


Career

Wood read French literature at
Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
, and was a recipient of the Harper-Wood Studentship from St John's College in 1999. She was a journalist at ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
'' from 2002, and during her time at the paper was deputy literary editor, arts editor, editor of the review section and New York correspondent for seven years.Keegan, Hannah (15 March 2019)
"Journalist Gaby Wood on why she’ll never forget this one-word answer from Donald Trump"
'' Stylist''.
Wood's book ''Living Dolls: A Magical History of the Quest for Mechanical Life'' (US edition: ''Edison's Eve'') was published in 2002. Described by Miranda Seymour in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' as a "lively, elegant and surprising book, packed with curious details and enticing anecdotes", it was shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award in 2003. Wood was awarded a 2007–2008 Cullman fellowship at the
New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second-largest public library in the United States behind the Library of Congress a ...
. Wood was ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
''s head of books, overseeing literature coverage, from January 2010 until 2015, and continues to write for the paper.Page, Benedicte (30 April 2015)
"Gaby Wood made Booker's literary director"
''
The Bookseller ''The Bookseller'' is a British magazine reporting news on the publishing industry. Philip Jones is editor-in-chief of the weekly print edition of the magazine and the website. The magazine is home to the ''Bookseller''/Diagram Prize for Oddes ...
''.
"Gaby Wood appointed as the next Literary Director of the Booker Prize Foundation"
, The Booker Prizes, 29 April 2015.
She has also written for the ''
London Review of Books The ''London Review of Books'' (''LRB'') is a British literary magazine published bimonthly that features articles and essays on fiction and non-fiction subjects, which are usually structured as book reviews. History The ''London Review of Book ...
'', ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', ''
Granta ''Granta'' is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centres on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story's supreme ability to describe, illuminate and make ...
'', and US '' Vogue'', among other publications, and has served as a judge for literary awards including the
Man Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a prestigious literary award conferred each year for the best single work of sustained fiction written in the English language, wh ...
in 2011, ''Granta'' magazine's Best of Young British Novelists, the Jerwood Award, the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize (2013), and the ''Bookseller'' Industry Awards. Wood was announced as literary director of the Booker Prize Foundation in April 2015, a few weeks after the death of her predecessor
Ion Trewin Ion Courtenay Gill Trewin (13 July 1943 – 8 April 2015) was a British editor, publisher and author. Biography Born in London, the son of J. C. Trewin and Wendy Trewin (''née'' Monk), Ion Trewin was educated at Highgate School. He was the l ...
(who had held the role since 2006, taking over from Martyn Goff, who ran the prize for three decades). In July 2021, Wood was elected an honorary Fellow of the
Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 800 Fellows, elect ...
.


Personal life

Wood is the daughter of Michael Wood, Professor Emeritus in English at
Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
, and has described herself as "half-Mexican, half-British ... growing up in Mexico and England".Wood, Gaby (7 June 2009)
"Why does the US hate my Mexican heritage?"
''The Guardian''.
She has two daughters.


Selected bibliography

* ''The Smallest Of All Persons Mentioned In The Records Of Littleness'',
Profile Books Profile Books is a British independent book publishing firm founded in 1996. It publishes non-fiction subjects including history, biography, memoir, politics, current events, current affairs, travel and popular science. Profile Books is distribu ...
, 1998 . * ''Living Dolls: A Magical History of the Quest for Mechanical Life'', Faber and Faber, 2002, ; paperback 2003, . **US edition: ''Edison's Eve: A Magical History of the Quest for Mechanical Life'', Alfred A. Knopf, 2002, ; Anchor Books, 2003, .


References


External links


Gaby Wood
''The Observer'' contributor page
Gaby Wood
''The Telegraph'' contributor page

''Yahoo'' contributor page {{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Gaby 1971 births Living people 20th-century English women writers 21st-century English women writers Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge English women journalists English literary critics The Daily Telegraph people The Observer people