Simon Hattenstone (born 29 December 1962 in

Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...

, England) is a British journalist and writer. He is a features writer and interviewer for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

''.Simon Hattenstone (profile)
The Guardian, accessed 22 January 2017. He has also written or ghost-written a number of biographical books.

Life

Hattenstone grew up in a Jewish family. He was severely ill with

encephalitis Encephalitis is inflammation of the Human brain, brain. The severity can be variable with symptoms including reduction or alteration in consciousness, headache, fever, confusion, a stiff neck, and vomiting. Complications may include seizures, hal ...

for three years as a child and is now an Ambassador for the Encephalitis Society.Foreword by Hattenstone, in He studied English at

Leeds University , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

and trained to be a teacher before moving to London to work as a journalist. On ''The Guardian'' he wrote a sports column for three years, in which he described the vicissitudes of being a die-hard

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The two ...

supporter. He also became assistant arts editor and film editor.

Works

Journalism

Hattenstone is among the few journalists to have interviewed the anonymous graffiti artist

Banksy Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based street artist, political activist and film director whose real name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation. Active since the 1990s, his satirical street art and subversive epigram ...

. Other interview subjects have included

George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the MTV Generation, MTV generation and is one of the List ...

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. On ...

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

, Debbie McGee,

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer * Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in ...

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, sou ...

Serena Williams Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) is an American inactive professional tennis player. Considered among the greatest tennis players of all time, she was ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) fo ...

, Katie Price,

Desmond Tutu Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 193126 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbish ...

, and

Penélope Cruz Penélope Cruz Sánchez (; ; born 28 April 1974) is a Spanish actress. Known for her roles in films of several genres, particularly those in the Spanish language, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a British A ...

. His interview by mobile phone with

Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Regarded as one of Britain's best actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her ...

has been quoted as an example of entertaining feature writing, yielding "an unconventional but, ultimately, satisfying profile". He also writes about crime and justice, and has covered many miscarriages of justice. He was highly commended in the Interviewer of the Year category in

The Press Awards The Press Awards, formerly the British Press Awards, is an annual ceremony that celebrates the best of British journalism. History Established in 1962 by ''The People'' and '' World's Press News'', the first award ceremony for the then-named ' ...

for 2014.

Other works

Books by Hattenstone include, ''Out of it'', about his childhood illness,Mike Horsfall
Out Of It - Simon Hattenstone (book review)
Police Journal Online, vol. 79, no. 11, November 1998. The Police Association of South Australia. and ''The Best of Times'', about the lives of members of England's 1966 football world cup team. He has ghost-written books for the snooker player Ronnie O'Sullivan and for

Duwayne Brooks Duwayne Lloyd Anthony Brooks (born 27 September 1974) is a former councillor in the London Borough of Lewisham. He was a friend of Stephen Lawrence and was with him when he was murdered. Early life Brooks was born in Lewisham to Jamaican parent ...

, who was attacked with

Stephen Lawrence Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; h ...

on the night Lawrence was murdered.

Film and television

Hattenstone co-wrote the television documentary series ''Brits Abroad''.Simon Hattenstone: Biography
IMDb.

References

External links

Simon Hattenstone
JournaListed, Media Standards Trust {{DEFAULTSORT:Hattenstone, Simon 1962 births Living people British writers British journalists People from Salford The Guardian journalists British Jews 21st-century English male writers