Tom Hodgkinson is a British writer and the editor of The Idler magazine, which he established in 1993 with his friend Gavin Pretor-Pinney. His philosophy, in his published books and articles, is of a relaxed approach to life, enjoying it as it comes rather than toiling for an imagined better future. The Idler was named after a series of essays written by Dr Johnson from 1758 to 1760.
Biography
Tom Hodgkinson was born in Newcastle, England. He is the brother of journalist and author Will Hodgkinson; their father is the science and medical writer Neville Hodgkinson and their mother is the prolific non-fiction writer and journalist Liz Hodgkinson.[1][2]
Hodgkinson was educated at Westminster School and Jesus College, Cambridge, during which time he played the bass guitar in the Stupids-influenced thrash band Chopper. He lived in North Devon until 2013. He currently lives in London.[3]
In the early 1990s, he worked at a Rough Trade Records shop in London, where he had the idea for The Idler.[4] In the late 1990s, he became an importer of absinthe.[5]
Hodgkinson has contributed articles to The Sunday Telegraph, The Guardian and The Sunday Times as well as being the author of the Idler spin-offs, How To Be Idle, How To Be Free and The Idle Parent.
In 2006, he created National Unawareness Day, to be celebrated on 1 November.[6]
In March 2011, he and his partner Victoria Hull launched The Idler Academy in London, a school running courses in philosophy, public speaking, grammar, ukulele, singing, drawing, calligraphy, astronomy, foraging, bread baking, bartitsu and small business.[7][8]
In April 2013, he launched the Idler Academy Bad Grammar Award,[9] and in September 2013 he launched the Ukulele Player of the Year competition. Bloomsbury UK and Bloomsbury US published his and Gavin's book, The Ukulele Handbook.[10]
Bibliography
- The Idler (periodical: 1993–present)
- How To Be Idle (2005)
- How To Be Free (2006)
- Republished as The Freedom Manifesto (US Release, 2007)
- The Idle Parent (2009)
- The Book of Idle Pleasures (May 2010; co-edited with Dan Kieran)
- Brave Old World (2011)
- Republished as How to Live in the Country (2021)
- The Ukulele Handbook (September 2013; co-written with Vampire Weekend)
- Business for Bohemians (2017)
- The Idler's Manual (2021)
- How to Live Like a Stoic (2026)
See also
References
- ↑ Review by Mick Brown in The Telegraph of The House Is Full of Yogis by Will Hodgkinson
- ↑ http://www.lizhodgkinson.com/lh/biography Biography page on Liz Hodgkinson's website
- ↑ "Tom Hodgkinson: Having successfully quit the rat race, I now find myself trying to get back into it". The Independent. 17 October 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
- ↑ "The Great Escape: Tom Hodgkinson (with Neil Scott)". Retrieved 20 September 2014.
- ↑ Tom Hodgkinson (7 February 2004). "Review: Hideous Absinthe by Jad Adams – Books – The Guardian". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
- ↑ "November 1: National Unawareness Day". The Guardian. November 2006.
- ↑ Matthew Reisz (August 2011). "Truth, beauty... idleness". Times Higher Education.
- ↑ "Tom Hodgkinson: The hardest working man in slow business". 29 November 2021.
- ↑ "Just how bad is bad grammar?". BBC News. May 2013.
- ↑ "Tom Hodgkinson: 'Jeremy Clarkson howled with horror and crawled under the table to escape'". The Independent. August 2013.
