Hella Pick
Encyclopedia
Hella Pick CBE
(born 1929) is a British journalist of Austrian
descent.
Hella Pick was born in Vienna
, Austria
into a middle-class Jewish family. Her parents divorced when she was three years old and she was raised by her mother. Following Germany’s annexation of Austria
in 1938 and a visit from the Gestapo
, Pick’s mother decided to leave Austria. Pick was put on a Kindertransport
and arrived in Britain in March 1939. Her mother obtained a visa and joined her three months later.
Pick went to school in the Lake District
and learned English. Feeling awkward about her identity, for a while she refused to speak German at all, even with her mother. In 1948, Pick became a British citizen and she no longer felt herself to be a refugee.
Pick studied at the London School of Economics
. In 1960 she became the UN correspondent of The Guardian
newspaper where she was tutored by its chief US correspondent Alastair Cooke. She has also written for the New Statesman
. Her successful career as a journalist and writer led to her becoming a CBE
in 2000.
In Germany she became famous due to her appearance on the TV shows Internationales Frühschoppen and Presseclub.
Currently, Pick is the Arts & Culture Programme Director at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, an independent think-tank based in London.
Pick has dual British and Austrian citizenship, and visits Austria regularly, her "home away from home".
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
(born 1929) is a British journalist of Austrian
Austrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
descent.
Hella Pick was born in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
into a middle-class Jewish family. Her parents divorced when she was three years old and she was raised by her mother. Following Germany’s annexation of Austria
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
in 1938 and a visit from the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
, Pick’s mother decided to leave Austria. Pick was put on a Kindertransport
Kindertransport
Kindertransport is the name given to the rescue mission that took place nine months prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. The United Kingdom took in nearly 10,000 predominantly Jewish children from Nazi Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Free City of Danzig...
and arrived in Britain in March 1939. Her mother obtained a visa and joined her three months later.
Pick went to school in the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
and learned English. Feeling awkward about her identity, for a while she refused to speak German at all, even with her mother. In 1948, Pick became a British citizen and she no longer felt herself to be a refugee.
Pick studied at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
. In 1960 she became the UN correspondent of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper where she was tutored by its chief US correspondent Alastair Cooke. She has also written for the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
. Her successful career as a journalist and writer led to her becoming a CBE
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
in 2000.
In Germany she became famous due to her appearance on the TV shows Internationales Frühschoppen and Presseclub.
Currently, Pick is the Arts & Culture Programme Director at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, an independent think-tank based in London.
Pick has dual British and Austrian citizenship, and visits Austria regularly, her "home away from home".