Viv Groskop
Encyclopedia
Viv Groskop is a British journalist and writer. She has written for publications including The Guardian
, Evening Standard
, The Observer
, Daily Mail
, Mail on Sunday and Red magazine. She writes on arts, books, popular culture and current affairs, often with a feminist slant.
Groskop grew up in Bruton
, Somerset, with her parents and younger sister Trudy, where she won a scholarship to Bruton School for Girls
. She studied Russian and French at Selwyn College
, Cambridge, graduating with a first class degree. According to biographical information distributed when Groskop was on the panel of Any Questions on BBC Radio 4
, she discovered at this time that she has Russian ancestry. She has an MA with distinction in Russian Studies from University College London
SSEES.
She began her career in journalism at Esquire
as an editorial assistant for Rosie Boycott
at the age of 22. Groskop joined the Daily Express
while Boycott was editor, becoming a columnist on the Sunday Express at the age of 25. She has been described as one of the most successful freelance journalists in the UK, and has twice been short-listed for the Periodical Publishers Association
Columnist of the Year.
Groskop is a contributing editor at Russian Vogue
. For the UK press, she has interviewed Russian speakers in their mother tongue, gaining insights which could be lost in a translation - among them Marina Litvinenko and Beslan school hostage crisis
survivor Fatima Dzgoeva. She also interviews in French, including the surviving daughter of Suite Francaise author Irène Némirovsky
. She performs occasionally on the amateur stand up comedy circuit in London though on her Twitter
page @vivgroskop she describes herself as "Writer. Mother. Feminist. Russophile. Very very bad stand-up comedian."
Groskop appears from time to time on Sky News
, BBC Radio 4's Today programme
, Any Questions and Woman's Hour
and on Nick Ferrari
's LBC 97.3
show.
, art collector and girlfriend of Roman Abramovich
for The Guardian
in August 2008. The headline for that story has often been quoted in subsequent interviews: "She (Zhukova) can't name a single artist she likes". However, the text of the interview is more nuanced, as Zhukova says: " I have never been a collector. I have a few pieces that I got for my birthdays or that I bought for myself: I acquire things that speak to me and put them on my wall. When I see things I like, I just know." She doesn't get any more specific: when I (Groskop) ask her which artists she particularly likes, she says: "I'm, like, really bad at remembering names."
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
, The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
, Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, Mail on Sunday and Red magazine. She writes on arts, books, popular culture and current affairs, often with a feminist slant.
Groskop grew up in Bruton
Bruton
Bruton is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated on the River Brue seven miles south-east of Shepton Mallet, just south of Snakelake Hill and Coombe Hill, ten miles north-west of Gillingham and twelve miles south-west of Frome in the South Somerset district. The town has a...
, Somerset, with her parents and younger sister Trudy, where she won a scholarship to Bruton School for Girls
Bruton School for Girls
Bruton School for Girls is an independent day and boarding school for girls aged 2 to 18 located near Pitcombe in Bruton in south east Somerset, England....
. She studied Russian and French at Selwyn College
Selwyn College, Cambridge
Selwyn College is a constituent college in the University of Cambridge in England, United Kingdom.The college was founded by the Selwyn Memorial Committee in memory of the Rt Reverend George Selwyn , who rowed on the Cambridge crew in the first Varsity Boat Race in 1829, and went on to become the...
, Cambridge, graduating with a first class degree. According to biographical information distributed when Groskop was on the panel of Any Questions on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
, she discovered at this time that she has Russian ancestry. She has an MA with distinction in Russian Studies from University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
SSEES.
She began her career in journalism at Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
as an editorial assistant for Rosie Boycott
Rosie Boycott
Rosel Marie Boycott , better known as Rosie Boycott, is a British journalist and feminist.-Journalism career:Daughter of Major Charles Boycott and Betty Boycott née Le Sueur, Rosel Boycott was born in St Helier, Jersey and was educated at the independent Cheltenham Ladies' College and read...
at the age of 22. Groskop joined the Daily Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
while Boycott was editor, becoming a columnist on the Sunday Express at the age of 25. She has been described as one of the most successful freelance journalists in the UK, and has twice been short-listed for the Periodical Publishers Association
Periodical Publishers Association
The Professional Publishers Association - formerly known as the Periodical Publishers Association - is a publishing industry body which promotes and protects the interests of companies involved in the production of consumer, customer and business media in the United Kingdom.The PPA's work is...
Columnist of the Year.
Groskop is a contributing editor at Russian Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
. For the UK press, she has interviewed Russian speakers in their mother tongue, gaining insights which could be lost in a translation - among them Marina Litvinenko and Beslan school hostage crisis
Beslan school hostage crisis
The Beslan school hostage crisis of early September 2004 was a three-day hostage-taking of over 1,100 people which ended in the deaths of over 380...
survivor Fatima Dzgoeva. She also interviews in French, including the surviving daughter of Suite Francaise author Irène Némirovsky
Irène Némirovsky
Irène Némirovsky was a French novelist who died at the age of 39 in Auschwitz, Nazi Germany occupied Poland. She was killed by the Nazis for being classified as a Jew under the racial laws, which did not take into account her conversion to Roman Catholicism.-Biography:Irène Némirovsky was born in...
. She performs occasionally on the amateur stand up comedy circuit in London though on her Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
page @vivgroskop she describes herself as "Writer. Mother. Feminist. Russophile. Very very bad stand-up comedian."
Groskop appears from time to time on Sky News
Sky News
Sky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...
, BBC Radio 4's Today programme
Today programme
Today is BBC Radio 4's long-running early morning news and current affairs programme, now broadcast from 6.00 am to 9.00 am Monday to Friday, and 7.00 am to 9.00 am on Saturdays. It is also the most popular programme on Radio 4 and one of the BBC's most popular programmes across its radio networks...
, Any Questions and Woman's Hour
Woman's Hour
Woman's Hour is a radio magazine programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in the United Kingdom.-History:Created by Norman Collins and originally presented by Alan Ivimey the programme was first broadcast on 7 October 1946 on the BBC's Light Programme . It was transferred to its current home in 1973...
and on Nick Ferrari
Nick Ferrari
Nick Ferrari is a radio presenter who currently hosts the weekday breakfast show from 0700-1000 UTC on the London-based talk and phone-in radio station LBC 97.3. He also has a regular column in the Sunday Express and is a regular guest on The Alan Titchmarsh Show on ITV1...
's LBC 97.3
LBC 97.3
LBC 97.3 is a London-based talk and phone-in radio station. It is one half of the latest incarnation of LBC, the news and speech service which was Britain's first commercial radio station when it went on air in October 1973...
show.
Quoted
Groskop interviewed Dasha ZhukovaDasha Zhukova
Darya Alexandrovna Zhukova is a Russian philanthropist, entrepreneur, model, fashion designer and magazine editor.- Biography :She was born in Moscow in 1981. Her father is Alexander Radkin Zhukov, a prominent Russian businessman, oil-magnate and illegal arms dealer. Her mother is Elena Zhukova, a...
, art collector and girlfriend of Roman Abramovich
Roman Abramovich
Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich is a Russian businessman and the main owner of the private investment company Millhouse LLC.In 2003, Abramovich was named Person of the Year by Expert, a Russian business magazine. He shared this title with Mikhail Khodorkovsky...
for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
in August 2008. The headline for that story has often been quoted in subsequent interviews: "She (Zhukova) can't name a single artist she likes". However, the text of the interview is more nuanced, as Zhukova says: " I have never been a collector. I have a few pieces that I got for my birthdays or that I bought for myself: I acquire things that speak to me and put them on my wall. When I see things I like, I just know." She doesn't get any more specific: when I (Groskop) ask her which artists she particularly likes, she says: "I'm, like, really bad at remembering names."
External links
- Guardian - Viv Groskop http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/vivgroskop
- Evening Standard - Viv Groskop http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-home/columnistarchive/Viv%20Groskop-columnist-602-archive.do