After taking his Oxford degree, he then went on to the École Normale Supérieure in Paris for a year as lecteur. He joined the London staff of The Times in 1959, but early in 1964 left to join the recently founded New Society as a staff writer. He went on to The Economist, but returned to New Society almost at once – in 1965 – as deputy editor. In 1968 he succeeded Timothy Raison, the first editor of New Society, and edited the magazine until 1986. Subsequently, he was a columnist for The Sunday Times and a regular writer for the London Evening Standard,The Times Literary Supplement and Prospect magazine. He was awarded a research fellowship by the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 for his work on suburbia which laid the foundation for his book; The Freedoms of Suburbia (Frances Lincoln, 2009). Barker wrote on Michael Young's legacy in The Rise and Rise of Meritocracy, edited by Young Fellow Geoff Dench (Blackwell, 2006). He was a senior research fellow with the Young Foundation, as well as being a freelance journalist, broadcaster and author.
One of Paul Barker's most significant and controversial contributions to New Society during the 1960s concerned issues around physical planning and space. In 1969 Barker collaborated with Reyner Banham, Peter Hall and Cedric Price on the article "Non-Plan: an experiment in freedom", which he published in New Society. Kazys Varnelis gives the background to this article:
'Between 1967 and 1969, the New Society’s deputy editor Paul Barker developed a deliberately controversial project for the magazine involving Banham, Cedric Price, and Peter Hall. In 1967, Barker ran excerpts from Herbert Gans's The Levittowners: Ways of Life and Poetics in a New Suburban Community, which he saw "as a corrective to the usual we-know-best snobberies about suburbia." At roughly the same time, Barker and Hall "floated this maverick thought: could things be any worse if there was no planning at all?" Barker elaborates: "We were especially concerned at the attempt to impose aesthetic choices on people who might have very different choices of their own. Why not, we wondered, suggest an experiment in getting along without planning and seeing what emerged?" The project, titled "Non-Plan: An Experiment in Freedom", Barker notes, "was strongly influenced by Banham’s essays in the magazine". For the special issue, which would be published on 20 March 1969, Barker recalls, "We wanted to startle people by offending against the deepest taboos. This would drive our point home." To this end Hall, Banham, and Price each took a section of the revered British countryside and imagined it blanketed with a low-density sprawl driven by automobility. According to Barker the reaction was a "mixture of deep outrage and stunned silence."
Images of neon signs—the 'imageability' so important to Banham’s idea of une architecture autre—that would mark the commercial structures of non-plan punctuated the issue. In Banham’s contribution, "Spontaneity and Space", he suggested that "the monuments of our century that have spontaneity and vitality are found not in the old cities, but in the American West. There, in the desert and the Pacific states, creations like Fremont Street in Las Vegas or Sunset Strip in Beverly Hills represent the living architecture of our age. As Tom Wolfe points out in his brilliant essay on Las Vegas, they achieve their quality by replacing buildings by signs." '
from Kazys Varnelis, Psychogeography and the End of Planning . Reyner Banham’s Los Angeles. The Architecture of Four Ecologies in Pat Morton, (ed), Pop Culture and Postwar American Taste, (London: Blackwell, forthcoming 2006)
The Freedoms of Suburbiaedit
In late 2009, Barker's book on suburbia was published. The book was extensively reviewed, including in The Times Literary Supplement, Guardian, Daily Telegraph, Independent, Financial Times and The Economist.
Paul Barker (ed) (1972) One for Sorrow, Two for Joy: Ten Years of "New Society", Allen and Unwin, ISBN0-04-300041-X
Paul Barker (ed) (1977) Arts in Society (reprint: 2006, Five Leaves Publications, ISBN1-905512-07-4)
Paul Barker Journal of Design History 12, 2 (1999)
Jonathan Hughes and Simon Sadler, eds., Non-Plan: Essays on Freedom, Participation and Change in Modern Architecture and Urbanism, Oxford: Architectural Press, 2000 [1][permanent dead link]
Paul Barker (2009) The Freedoms of Suburbia Frances Lincoln ISBN0-7112-2978-3
Paul Barker (2012) Hebden Bridge: A Sense of Belonging Frances Lincoln ISBN978-0711232150
Paul Barker (2013) A Crooked Smile The Grainwater Press ISBN9781783011209 (ebook)
Paul Barker (2014) The Dead don't die The Grainwater Press ISBN9781783014132 (ebook)
Referencesedit
^Barker, Paul (2012). Hebden Bridge: A Sense of Belonging. Frances Lincoln. ISBN978-0711232150.
^Barker, Paul (20 September 2003). "How I won the cold war". Prospect. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
^Wood, Michael (6 August 2019). "Paul Barker obituary". The Guardian.
paul, barker, writer, paul, barker, august, 1935, july, 2019, english, journalist, writer, barker, born, west, riding, yorkshire, grew, mytholmroyd, hebden, bridge, educated, local, schools, calder, valley, exhibition, scholarship, brasenose, college, oxford, . Paul Barker 24 August 1935 20 July 2019 was an English journalist and writer Barker was born in the West Riding of Yorkshire He grew up in Mytholmroyd and Hebden Bridge 1 He was educated at local schools in the Calder Valley and won an Exhibition scholarship to Brasenose College Oxford to read French Before taking up his place at Oxford he did national service and was commissioned as an officer in the Intelligence Corps and while in the Army studied Russian language at Cambridge University in the Joint Services School for Linguists with Dennis Potter in the next hut and Potter s producer Kenith Trodd in the same hut as Barker 2 After taking his Oxford degree he then went on to the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris for a year as lecteur He joined the London staff of The Times in 1959 but early in 1964 left to join the recently founded New Society as a staff writer He went on to The Economist but returned to New Society almost at once in 1965 as deputy editor In 1968 he succeeded Timothy Raison the first editor of New Society and edited the magazine until 1986 Subsequently he was a columnist for The Sunday Times and a regular writer for the London Evening Standard The Times Literary Supplement and Prospect magazine He was awarded a research fellowship by the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 for his work on suburbia which laid the foundation for his book The Freedoms of Suburbia Frances Lincoln 2009 Barker wrote on Michael Young s legacy in The Rise and Rise of Meritocracy edited by Young Fellow Geoff Dench Blackwell 2006 He was a senior research fellow with the Young Foundation as well as being a freelance journalist broadcaster and author Barker died on 20 July 2019 aged 83 3 Contents 1 Notable works 1 1 Non Plan An Experiment in Freedom 1 2 The Freedoms of Suburbia 2 Bibliography 3 References 4 External linksNotable works editNon Plan An Experiment in Freedom edit One of Paul Barker s most significant and controversial contributions to New Society during the 1960s concerned issues around physical planning and space In 1969 Barker collaborated with Reyner Banham Peter Hall and Cedric Price on the article Non Plan an experiment in freedom which he published in New Society Kazys Varnelis gives the background to this article Between 1967 and 1969 the New Society s deputy editor Paul Barker developed a deliberately controversial project for the magazine involving Banham Cedric Price and Peter Hall In 1967 Barker ran excerpts from Herbert Gans s The Levittowners Ways of Life and Poetics in a New Suburban Community which he saw as a corrective to the usual we know best snobberies about suburbia At roughly the same time Barker and Hall floated this maverick thought could things be any worse if there was no planning at all Barker elaborates We were especially concerned at the attempt to impose aesthetic choices on people who might have very different choices of their own Why not we wondered suggest an experiment in getting along without planning and seeing what emerged The project titled Non Plan An Experiment in Freedom Barker notes was strongly influenced by Banham s essays in the magazine For the special issue which would be published on 20 March 1969 Barker recalls We wanted to startle people by offending against the deepest taboos This would drive our point home To this end Hall Banham and Price each took a section of the revered British countryside and imagined it blanketed with a low density sprawl driven by automobility According to Barker the reaction was a mixture of deep outrage and stunned silence Images of neon signs the imageability so important to Banham s idea of une architecture autre that would mark the commercial structures of non plan punctuated the issue In Banham s contribution Spontaneity and Space he suggested that the monuments of our century that have spontaneity and vitality are found not in the old cities but in the American West There in the desert and the Pacific states creations like Fremont Street in Las Vegas or Sunset Strip in Beverly Hills represent the living architecture of our age As Tom Wolfe points out in his brilliant essay on Las Vegas they achieve their quality by replacing buildings by signs from Kazys Varnelis Psychogeography and the End of Planning Reyner Banham s Los Angeles The Architecture of Four Ecologies in Pat Morton ed Pop Culture and Postwar American Taste London Blackwell forthcoming 2006 The Freedoms of Suburbia edit In late 2009 Barker s book on suburbia was published The book was extensively reviewed including in The Times Literary Supplement Guardian Daily Telegraph Independent Financial Times and The Economist Bibliography editPaul Barker with Reyner Banham Peter Hall and Cedric Price Non Plan an experiment in freedom New Society 338 20 March 1969 Paul Barker ed 1972 One for Sorrow Two for Joy Ten Years of New Society Allen and Unwin ISBN 0 04 300041 X Paul Barker ed 1977 Arts in Society reprint 2006 Five Leaves Publications ISBN 1 905512 07 4 Paul Barker Non plan revisited or the real way cities grow The tenth Reyner Banham memorial lecture Journal of Design History 12 2 1999 Jonathan Hughes and Simon Sadler eds Non Plan Essays on Freedom Participation and Change in Modern Architecture and Urbanism Oxford Architectural Press 2000 1 permanent dead link Paul Barker 2009 The Freedoms of Suburbia Frances Lincoln ISBN 0 7112 2978 3 Paul Barker 2012 Hebden Bridge A Sense of Belonging Frances Lincoln ISBN 978 0711232150 Paul Barker 2013 A Crooked Smile The Grainwater Press ISBN 9781783011209 ebook Paul Barker 2014 The Dead don t die The Grainwater Press ISBN 9781783014132 ebook References edit Barker Paul 2012 Hebden Bridge A Sense of Belonging Frances Lincoln ISBN 978 0711232150 Barker Paul 20 September 2003 How I won the cold war Prospect Retrieved 9 August 2019 Wood Michael 6 August 2019 Paul Barker obituary The Guardian External links editThe Papers of Paul Barker at the Churchill Archives Centre Paul Barker Obituary The Guardian Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Paul Barker writer amp oldid 1132908875, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
