World Book Day – Pembroke’s Writers Past and Present

Over the years Pembroke has seen many talented writers pass through the College. Whilst he was Fellow here between 1925-45, J.R.R. Tolkien wrote The Hobbit and the first two books in The Lord of the Rings, Samuel Johnson studied here for a short time between 1728-9 and the 18th century poet William Shenstone matriculated in 1732.

On World Book Day, we reflect on the authorial accomplishments of some recent alumni:

Katharine became the first female editor-in-chief at The Guardian in 2015 and read English at Pembroke (matriculated 1989). Although she is primarily known for her journalism, Katharine is also a playwright. She co-edited ‘My Name is Rachel Corrie’ with Alan Rickman, which was performed at the Royal Court Theatre in 2005.

TV personality and award winning wine writer, Oz studied Theology and Psychology (matriculated 1967) at Pembroke and was also president of the JCR. Adding to an extensive list of publications, in 2015 he published ‘Wine A-Z’, which covers wines, producers, grapes, countries and wine regions from across the globe.

Author, journalist and game designer, Lizzie was a visiting student at Pembroke in 2001. She has published two books in recent years.  The most recent, ‘Pandora’s DNA’ (October 2014), explores the history and science of so-called ‘breast cancer genes’ and was named an ALA Notable Book of 2015. Read more about her work on her website.

Many works by our alumni can be found in The McGowin Library, which was built in 1974 and named after the family that funded its construction. We caught up with Pembroke’s Librarian, Laura Cracknell who commented:

‘The McGowin Library continues to support students in their work, aiming to provide them with everything they need to successfully complete their courses, whether that’s by buying in a difficult-to-find textbook or offering help with navigating their way through Oxford’s electronic resources.’

Let us know what you’re reading on #WorldBookDay by tweeting @pembrokeoxford