John Calder
Encyclopedia
John Mackenzie Calder is a Canadian
and Scottish
publisher who founded Calder Publishing
in 1949.
, becoming the main publisher of his prose-texts in Britain after the success of Waiting for Godot on the London stage in 1955-56. During the 1950s, he published the translated work of Anton Chekhov
, Leo Tolstoy
, Fyodor Dostoevsky
, Goethe and Zola
, including most of the work of April FitzLyon
, and was the first publisher to make William S. Burroughs
available in the United Kingdom
.
From 1963 to 1975, Calder was in partnership with Marion Boyars, and the company was known as Calder and Boyars. The championing of freedom of speech led to Calder's involvement in a number of prosecutions for obscenity, most notably perhaps in 1966 for Last Exit to Brooklyn
. The case was won on appeal.
The imprint continues to publish Howard Barker
, Tim Waterstone
, and other figures of literature both past and present. In 2002, John Calder opened The Calder Bookshop Theatre at 51 The Cut, Waterloo, London
. To celebrate his fifty years in publishing, the arts and politics a festschrift was produced. During 2006, Lou MacLoughlan and Louise Milne produced the documentary John Calder: A Life in Publishing commemorating his life.
In April 2007 it was announced that John Calder is passing the business on to Oneworld Classics; the list will retain his name, although the rights to the non-theatrical work of Beckett have been acquired by Faber
.
Calder was also responsible for devising the International Writers' Conference held at the Edinburgh International Festival
in 1962 and again in 1963. This innovative event, intended to draw together writers from all over the world, was arguably a forerunner of the Edinburgh Book Festival which was not founded for another twenty years.
John Calder also led a hectic life outside publishing. In the 1960s, he stood for election as a Liberal candidate.
However Calder is otherwise mainly known for his interests in the arts in general and his passion for opera in particular. In 1963 he founded and ran for some ten years Ledlanet Nights
, a general festival of the arts, held in the hall of his then home, a baronial house at Ledlanet near Milnathort
.
As his publishing activity lessened, John Calder has developed his own writing. Calder published his autobiography in 2001 and various other works related to Beckett . He still writes poetry and is currently working on a biography.
were married in 1961. That lasted until 1975, and produced another daughter, Anatasia (b. 1963).
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
publisher who founded Calder Publishing
Calder Publishing
Calder Publications is a publisher of books. Since 1949, it has published many books on all the arts, particularly musical subjects like opera and painting, the theatre and critical and philosophical theory...
in 1949.
Biography
John Calder was a friend of Samuel BeckettSamuel Beckett
Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, theatre director, and poet. He wrote both in English and French. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black comedy and gallows humour.Beckett is widely regarded as among the most...
, becoming the main publisher of his prose-texts in Britain after the success of Waiting for Godot on the London stage in 1955-56. During the 1950s, he published the translated work of Anton Chekhov
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
, Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy
Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was a Russian writer who primarily wrote novels and short stories. Later in life, he also wrote plays and essays. His two most famous works, the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are acknowledged as two of the greatest novels of all time and a pinnacle of realist...
, Fyodor Dostoevsky
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Fyodor Mikhaylovich Dostoyevsky was a Russian writer of novels, short stories and essays. He is best known for his novels Crime and Punishment, The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov....
, Goethe and Zola
Émile Zola
Émile François Zola was a French writer, the most important exemplar of the literary school of naturalism and an important contributor to the development of theatrical naturalism...
, including most of the work of April FitzLyon
April FitzLyon
Cecily April FitzLyon , known as April FitzLyon, was an English translator, biographer, and historian.-Early life:...
, and was the first publisher to make William S. Burroughs
William S. Burroughs
William Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...
available in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
From 1963 to 1975, Calder was in partnership with Marion Boyars, and the company was known as Calder and Boyars. The championing of freedom of speech led to Calder's involvement in a number of prosecutions for obscenity, most notably perhaps in 1966 for Last Exit to Brooklyn
Last Exit to Brooklyn
Last Exit to Brooklyn is a 1964 novel by American author Hubert Selby, Jr. The novel has become a cult classic because of its harsh, uncompromising look at lower class Brooklyn in the 1950s and for its brusque, everyman style of prose....
. The case was won on appeal.
The imprint continues to publish Howard Barker
Howard Barker
Howard E. Barker is a British playwright.-The Theatre of Catastrophe :Barker has coined the term "Theatre of Catastrophe" to describe his work...
, Tim Waterstone
Tim Waterstone
Tim Waterstone is the founder of the United Kingdom bookselling retail chain Waterstone's. Waterstone's now employs 4,500 staff, is the largest specialist bookseller in Europe, with stores in the UK, Holland, Belgium and Ireland, and is the third largest bookseller in the world.- Early life and...
, and other figures of literature both past and present. In 2002, John Calder opened The Calder Bookshop Theatre at 51 The Cut, Waterloo, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. To celebrate his fifty years in publishing, the arts and politics a festschrift was produced. During 2006, Lou MacLoughlan and Louise Milne produced the documentary John Calder: A Life in Publishing commemorating his life.
In April 2007 it was announced that John Calder is passing the business on to Oneworld Classics; the list will retain his name, although the rights to the non-theatrical work of Beckett have been acquired by Faber
Faber and Faber
Faber and Faber Limited, often abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in the UK, notable in particular for publishing a great deal of poetry and for its former editor T. S. Eliot. Faber has a rich tradition of publishing a wide range of fiction, non fiction, drama, film and music...
.
Calder was also responsible for devising the International Writers' Conference held at the Edinburgh International Festival
Edinburgh International Festival
The Edinburgh International Festival is a festival of performing arts that takes place in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, over three weeks from around the middle of August. By invitation from the Festival Director, the International Festival brings top class performers of music , theatre, opera...
in 1962 and again in 1963. This innovative event, intended to draw together writers from all over the world, was arguably a forerunner of the Edinburgh Book Festival which was not founded for another twenty years.
John Calder also led a hectic life outside publishing. In the 1960s, he stood for election as a Liberal candidate.
However Calder is otherwise mainly known for his interests in the arts in general and his passion for opera in particular. In 1963 he founded and ran for some ten years Ledlanet Nights
Ledlanet Nights
Ledlanet Nights in Kinrosshire, Scotland, operated from 1962 for around ten years, and was one of the more remarkable artistic ventures in Scotland. This "inventive and not at all flippant little festival" offered performances mounted on a shoestring budget and which were held in the hallway at...
, a general festival of the arts, held in the hall of his then home, a baronial house at Ledlanet near Milnathort
Milnathort
Milnathort is a small village in the Perth & Kinross region of central Scotland.The smaller neighbour of nearby Kinross, Milnathort has a small population of roughly 1000 people. It is situated amidst picturesque countryside at the foot of the Ochil Hills, and near the north shore of Loch Leven...
.
As his publishing activity lessened, John Calder has developed his own writing. Calder published his autobiography in 2001 and various other works related to Beckett . He still writes poetry and is currently working on a biography.
Personal life
Calder was married to Christya Myling from 1954-1961. They have a daughter named Jamie (b. 1954). He and Bettina JonicBettina Jonic
Bettina Jonic is a theatre artist, singer, dancer, writer, poet, director, and the founder of London's Actors Work Group.-History:Jonic was raised in Los Angeles, California to Croatian parents. She studied ballet for ten years with Theodore Kosloff and Bronislava Nijenska, then studied music and...
were married in 1961. That lasted until 1975, and produced another daughter, Anatasia (b. 1963).
External links
- Calder Publications
- Calder and Boyars Manuscripts - Lilly Library Manuscript Collections, Indiana University
- Louise Jury "Publish and be damned: A defender of free speech", - a profile of John Calder, The Independent on Sunday, 21 March 2007
- Tom Tivnan "I am Legend", - a feature on John Calder on his sixtieth anniversary in publishing, "The Bookseller", 30 January 2009