Jonathan Otter Self (born 11 March 1959 in
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.
...
, London) is an English author and journalist.
Early life
Self was raised in
Hampstead
Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...
, London. His father was the British journalist and academic
Peter Self. His mother, Elaine (born Rosenbloom), was American and worked in publishing.
His brother,
Will Self, is a novelist and broadcaster.
Career
Self began his career as an advertising copywriter and in 1982 founded Self Direct, a direct-marketing agency. He sold the business in 1993.
In 2001, Self published an autobiography, ''Self Abuse''. ''
The Times'' stated that Self "is a talented writer with an extraordinary family history to relate. He catalogues the failings of a family so dysfunctional and cruel that even with his talent for sardonic one-liners the tone is one of unrelenting despair." In a humour column of ''
The Guardian'', a one-line summary of the book states, "The brother of the more famous Will ODs in therapy and splurges the results over 247 pages".
Self has since written a number of other books, including ''The Teenagers Guide to Money'' which was notably ranked as the #5 best investing book for teens by a UK financial education website. He has contributed regularly to the British media including
''Country Life'', ''
The Times'', ''
The Daily Telegraph'' and ''
The Mail on Sunday''. In 2009 he collaborated with
Arabella Lennox-Boyd
Arabella Lennox-Boyd, Lady Lennox-Boyd (née Parisi) is an Italian-born English garden designer.
Background
Arabella Lennox-Boyd was born in Rome and grew up there and at Palazzo Parisi, Oliveto, their family home. She later settled in England wh ...
on "Welcome to Dream Acres", a ''
Country Life'' series about landscape gardening.
He is one of the founders of Honey's, an ethical
dog food company, which is the subject of one of his books.
Self acts as a Special Adviser to the
World Land Trust, an environmental charity.
In 2016, he made a Radio 4 Charity Appeal on behalf of
Room to Read.
Self is now a trustee of the
Rainforest Trust
Rainforest Trust is a US-based nonprofit environmental organization focused on the purchase and protection of tropical lands to strategically conserve threatened species. Founded in 1988, Rainforest Trust was formerly known as World Parks Endowm ...
.
Personal life
Self is married. He and his wife Rose have seven children between them.
Works
*''Self Abuse'' (John Murray, 2001), a memoir
*''The Teenager's Guide to Money'' (Quercus, 2007), a personal finance guide for teenagers
*''Honey's Natural Feeding Handbook for Dogs'' (Mammoth, 2012), a guide to diets for dogs
*''Emerald'' (Thames & Hudson, 2013), a guide to the world's
emerald trade
*''Good Money'' (Head of Zeus, 2017), a guide on how to become an ethical entrepreneur
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Self, Jonathan
Living people
1959 births
English male journalists
Jonathan
Jonathan may refer to:
*Jonathan (name), a masculine given name
Media
* ''Jonathan'' (1970 film), a German film directed by Hans W. Geißendörfer
* ''Jonathan'' (2016 film), a German film directed by Piotr J. Lewandowski
* ''Jonathan'' (2018 ...