Alan Coren | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1938-06-27)27 June 1938 London, England |
| Died | 18 October 2007(2007-10-18) (aged 69) London, England |
| Resting place | Hampstead Cemetery |
| Education | |
| Occupation(s) | Humourist, writer, broadcaster, editor |
| Spouse | |
| Children | |
| Relatives | Michael Coren (cousin) |
Alan Coren (27 June 1938 – 18 October 2007)[1] was an English writer,humorist, broadcaster andsatirist. He was a regular panellist on theBBC Radio quizThe News Quiz and a team captain on BBC television'sCall My Bluff. Coren was the editor ofPunch for almost a decade; later, he editedThe Listener magazine.
Alan Coren was born into anOrthodox Jewish family inEast Barnet, Hertfordshire, in 1938, the son of builder and plumber Samuel Coren and his wife Martha, a hairdresser.[2][3] In the introduction toChocolate and Cuckoo Clocks: The Essential Alan Coren, Alan's childrenGiles andVictoria Coren conclude that their grandfather Samuel Coren was "an odd job man really" and had also apparently been a debt collector.[4]
Coren was educated at Osidge Primary School andEast Barnet Grammar School.[4] Having gained a scholarship, he studied English atWadham College, Oxford. He graduated from theUniversity of Oxford with afirst class Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1960: as per tradition, his BA was promoted to aMaster of Arts (MA Oxon) degree.[1][5] Having won aHarkness Fellowship, he then studied for a doctorate in modernAmerican literature atYale University and theUniversity of California, Berkeley.[1] He did not complete his PhD.[6]
Coren considered anacademic career, but in 1963 was offered a writing position with the humour magazinePunch. He accepted and worked atPunch, in various roles, for twenty-four years.[7][2] He had started off his writing career by selling articles toPunch,[5] while at the same time also writing forThe New Yorker.[1]
In 1966, he becamePunch's literary editor, becoming deputy editor in 1969 and editor in 1977. He remained as editor until 1987 when the circulation began to decline.[8]
During the week in which he took over the editorship,The Jewish Chronicle published a profile of him. According to journalist and fellowPunch writerMiles Kington, Coren's response was to rush around the office, waving a copy of the relevant edition, saying: "This is ridiculous – I haven't been Jewish for years!"[2]
When Coren leftPunch in 1987, he became editor ofThe Listener, continuing in that role until 1989.[1]
From 1971 to 1978, Coren wrote a television review column forThe Times.
From 1972 to 1976, he wrote a humorous column for theDaily Mail. He also wrote forThe Observer,Tatler, andThe Times.[1][7]
From 1984, Coren worked as a television critic forThe Mail on Sunday until he moved as a humorous columnist to theSunday Express, which he left in 1996.[1][8] In 1989, he began to contribute a column inThe Times, which continued for the rest of his life.[9]
Coren began his broadcasting career in 1977. He was invited to be one of the regular panellists onBBC Radio 4's new satiricalquiz show,The News Quiz.[5] He continued onThe News Quiz until the year he died.
From 1996 to 2004, he was one of two team captains on the UK panel gameCall My Bluff.
In 1978 he wroteThe Losers, a sitcom about a wrestlingpromoter starringLeonard Rossiter andAlfred Molina.[7]
Coren published about twenty books during his life, many of which were collections of his newspaper columns,[1] such asGolfing for Cats andThe Cricklewood Diet.
From 1976 to 1983, he wrote theArthur series of children's books.[1]
One of his most successful books,The Collected Bulletins of Idi Amin (a collection of hisPunch articles aboutAmin) was rejected for publication in the United States on the grounds of racial sensitivity.[1][5] They were written in a fictional English dialect, purportedly as used by African English speakers. Coren later considered his use of an ersatz dialect in portraying a person from Africa as in poor taste.[2]: par 10 These Bulletins were later made into a comedy album,The Collected Broadcasts of Idi Amin with the actorJohn Bird.
Coren's other books include:[1][7][8]
Coren's final book,69 For One, was published late in 2007.[1]
.jpg)
In 1973, Coren became theRector of the University of St Andrews, afterJohn Cleese. He held the position until 1976.[1]
In 1963, Coren married Anne Kasriel, aconsultant anaesthetist atMoorfields Eye Hospital.[10][7][2] The couple went on to have two children,Giles andVictoria, who both became journalists.[9]
In May 2006, Coren was bitten by an insect that gave himsepticaemia, which led to his developingnecrotising fasciitis.[1][11]
Coren died fromlung cancer in 2007 at his home in north London.[9][7] His was buried atHampstead Cemetery in north London.[7]
An anthology of his writings, calledThe Essential Alan Coren – Chocolate and Cuckoo Clocks and edited by his children, was published in October 2008.[12]
Coren is commemorated by a short road named Alan Coren Close,Cricklewood, London NW2 6GL.[13]
The week he became editor ofPunch there was a huge profile of him inThe Jewish Chronicle. Coren was somewhat embarrassed.
There is some uncertainty regarding the father's occupation: the source describes him as 'A plumber? ... That's what they said ... He was an odd job man really.'
| Academic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Rector of the University of St Andrews 1973–1976 | Succeeded by |
