Thomas Harding (writer)
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Thomas Harding (born 31 August 1968,
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
) is a
non-fiction Non-fiction (or nonfiction) is any document or content (media), media content that attempts, in good faith, to convey information only about the real life, real world, rather than being grounded in imagination. Non-fiction typically aims to pre ...
author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...
,
journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...
, and
documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...
maker. He holds joint British, American and German citizenship.


Career

Harding was educated at
Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...
in London and then studied anthropology and political science at
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Corpus Christi College (full name: "The College of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary", often shortened to "Corpus") is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. From the late 14th c ...
. Alfred Alexander is his great-grandfather. He is the great-nephew of Hanns Alexander. It was only after Alexander's funeral in 2006 that Harding learned what he had done during the Second World War. Harding and his wife were joint CEOs and co-founders of the Oxford Channel, a local television channel operating under a
Restricted Service Licence A UK Restricted Service Licence (often called an RSL) is typically granted to radio stations and television stations broadcasting within the UK to serve a local community or a special event. Licences are granted by the broadcasting authority Ofcom ...
. In 2000, the board voted to sell the station and its operating company to
Milestone Group Catenae Innovation (formerly Milestone Group) is a British digital media and technology company. Originally a cross media proprietor with holdings in radio, publishing and television, the company progressed into the digital media and technology s ...
.Roddy Mansfield
"TV that's right up your street"
''
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 ...
'', 24 July 2000.
The station is no longer operational. In December 2006 Harding became co-owner and publisher of the Shepherdstown ''Observer'' in
West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...
. In 2010 the newspaper won a
Freedom of Information Act Freedom of Information Act may refer to the following legislations in different jurisdictions which mandate the national government to disclose certain data to the general public upon request: * Freedom of Information Act (United States) of 1966 * F ...
case before the West Virginia Supreme Court, which resulted in referendum petitions being released to it. While in the US, he helped develop the American Conservation Film Festival (ACFF), in partnership with the National Conservation Training Center. In 2010 he convinced John Doyle, a delegate in the West Virginia House of Delegates, of the need for a state law protecting
reporters' privilege Reporter's privilege in the United States (also journalist's privilege, newsman's privilege, or press privilege), is a "reporter's protection under constitutional or statutory law, from being compelled to testify about confidential information or ...
not to reveal their sources; the reporters' shield bill sponsored by Doyle was passed by the West Virginia House and Senate in March 2011. In March 2011 he sold his interest in the paper. His book '' Hanns and Rudolf: The German Jew and the Hunt for the Kommandant of Auschwitz'' was released in 2013. It won the Jewish Quarterly-Wingate Prize. His next book, ''Kadian Journal'', was published in 2014; it is about his son, who died in a cycling accident. Doron Weber of the ''
Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' described it as "a fine, brave book, a tough-minded, tender-hearted evocation of a beautiful boy, his all-too-short life and the impact of his death on a loving family. Harding has done his boy proud and turned nightmare into art." ''The House by the Lake'', an account of the five families, including his grandmother, who lived in Alexander Haus, a house in Berlin, was published in 2015. Harding, local residents and his family, saved the building from demolition and established a charity to set it up as a cultural and historical centre. ''Blood on the Page'' was published in 2018. It is the investigation of the 2006 murder of the London-based author Allan Chappelow and the man found guilty of the crime Wang Yam. The murder trial was the first in modern British history to be held in secret. It won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction. Harding's next book was ''Legacy'' published in 2019. It tells the story of
J. Lyons and Co. J, or j, is the tenth letter of the English alphabet. J may also refer to: * Palatal approximant in the International Phonetic Alphabet * J, Cyrillic letter Je Astronomy * J, a provisional designation prefix for some objects discovered be ...
which was founded and run by the author's family and at one time was the largest catering business in the world. In 2020, Harding released two books for young readers: ''Future History: 2050'' with the German publisher Jacoby & Stuart, and a picture-book adaptation of his 2015 ''The House by the Lake''. When Harding discovered that his mother's family had made money from plantations worked by enslaved people, he started research into Britain's role in slavery. This led to him publishing, in 2022, the book ''White Debt'' on an uprising by enslaved people in Demerara in 1823; the ''Guardian'' gave the book a positive review. In 2023, Harding's second picture book was published, ''The House on the Canal,'' in collaboration with the illustrator Britta Teckentrup. The book focuses on the history of the Anne Frank house. Also in 2023, Harding's book ''The Maverick'' was published, a biography about the Austrian-Jewish publisher
George Weidenfeld George Weidenfeld, Baron Weidenfeld (13 September 1919 – 20 January 2016) was a British publisher, philanthropist, and newspaper columnist. He was also a lifelong Zionist and renowned master networker. He was on good terms with popes, prime mi ...
; it received favorable reviews from the ''Wall Street Journal'' and the ''Washington Post''.


Bibliography

* '' Hanns and Rudolf: The German Jew and the Hunt for the Kommandant of Auschwitz'' (London: Penguin Random House, 2013) * ''Kadian Journal - A Father’s Story'' (Random House, 2014) * ''The House By The Lake: Berlin. One House. Five Families. A Hundred years of History'' (Random House, 2015) * ''Blood On The Page: A Murder, a Secret Trial, a Search for the Truth'' (Random House, 2018) * ''Legacy: One Family, a Cup of Tea, and the Company who took on the World'' (Random House, 2019) * ''The House By The Lake'' - picture book (Walker Books, 2020) * ''Future History: 2050'' (Jacoby & Stuart, 2020) * ''White Debt: The Demerara Uprising and Britain’s Legacy of Slavery'' (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2022) * ''The House On The Canal'' - picture book (Jacoby & Stuart, 2023) * ''The Maverick: George Weidenfeld and the Golden Age of Publishing'' (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2023) * ''The House On The Farm'' - picture book (Jacoby & Stuart, 2023)


References


External links


Personal website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harding, Thomas 1968 births Living people British people of German-Jewish descent People educated at Westminster School, London Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Georgetown University alumni British writers British journalists British documentary filmmakers