Paul Robert Spike is an American author,

editor in chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

and journalist. He is best known as the author of the 1973 memoir ''Photographs of My Father'' about the murder of his father, civil rights leader

Robert W. Spike Robert Warren Spike (November 13, 1923 – October 17, 1966) was an American clergyman, theologian, and civil rights leader. Early life Spike was born in Buffalo, New York and educated at Denison University, Union Theological Seminary, Colu ...

, in 1966.

Career

Spike is the author of five books. His memoir ''Photographs of My Father'' (

Knopf Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. () is an American publishing house that was founded by Alfred A. Knopf Sr. and Blanche Knopf in 1915. Blanche and Alfred traveled abroad regularly and were known for publishing European, Asian, and Latin American writers i ...

, 1973) is the most widely known; an autobiographical account of the murder of his father, civil rights leader Rev. Robert W. Spike, the book received exceptional praise and was chosen by 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) ...

as one of its "Ten Best Books of The Year." His four other works include a collection of short stories, two political thrillers, and the cult

novelization A novelization (or novelisation) is a derivative novel that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, stage play, comic book or video game. Film novelizations were particularly popular before the advent of ...

Terry Gilliam Terrence Vance Gilliam (; born 22 November 1940) is an American-born British filmmaker, comedian, animator, actor and former member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Gilliam has directed 13 feature films, including '' Time Bandits'' (1981), '' ...

's ''

Jabberwocky "Jabberwocky" is a nonsense poem written by Lewis Carroll about the killing of a creature named "the Jabberwock". It was included in his 1871 novel '' Through the Looking-Glass'', the sequel to ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865). The ...

''. (Spike composed under the pseudonym "Ralph Hoover.") In 1997, Spike became the first American editor of the 150-year-old British humour magazine ''

Punch Punch commonly refers to: * Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist * Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice Punch may also refer to: Places * Pun ...

'' which he relaunched as a weekly investigative and satirical

gadfly Gadfly most commonly refers to: * Horse-fly or Botfly * Gadfly (philosophy and social science), a person who upsets the status quo Gadfly may also refer to: Entertainment * ''The Gadfly'', an 1897 novel by Ethel Lilian Voynich ** ''The Gadfly'' ...

, but soon left after falling out with its controversial owner

Mohamed Al-Fayed Mohamed Al-Fayed (; arz, محمد الفايد ; born 27 January 1929) is an Egyptian-born businessman whose residence and chief business interests have been in the United Kingdom since the late 1960s. His business interests include ownership of ...

Honors

Spike has received the Paris Review Humor Prize.

Personal

Spike graduated from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manha ...

in 1970. He has a son and a daughter by author Maureen Freely, and a son by editor Alexandra Shulman, both former wives. His brother is art historian John Spike.

Bibliography

* ''Bad News'' (short fiction), Holt Rinehart and Winston, 1971. * ''Photographs of My Father'' (autobiography), Knopf, 1973. * ''Jabberwocky'' (as "Ralph Hoover"), Pan Books, 1976. * ''

The Night Letter ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (novel), GP Putnams, 1978. * ''Last Rites'' (novel), New American Library, 1980.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spike, Paul Living people Alumni of St Catherine's College, Oxford American editors American male journalists Columbia College (New York) alumni Writers from Greenwich Village Punch (magazine) people 1947 births