Johanna Thomas-Corr
@JohannaTC
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Chief literary critic for The Times and Sunday Times. Runs the @youngwriteryear
London and Bristol
Joined March 2010
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Never has Salman Rushdie used so few words so effectively. Knife is a rich, immersive, feisty account of his journey from darkness back to the light. Part thriller, part love story, part celebration of literature, it’s an incandescent book.
Me on Knife.
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I don’t have it in me to write some causally witty thing about how horrifying this is. The quote on the back of Jordan Peterson’s paperback is a gross misrepresentation of my 2,000+ word New Statesman review of his book. It should be removed.
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A new chapter begins: I’m thrilled to say that from January 2023, I will be the new literary editor of The Sunday Times. It is, in my opinion, the best job in books journalism and it's a real honour to be following in the footsteps of so many fine editors 1/3
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I was invited to moonlight as a royal commentator in today’s Sunday Times but I do have a serious point:
When we eventually hear from the Princess of Wales, I suspect we’ll come to regret our prurient entitlement… this cruel theatre is degrading and infantilising for us all.
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Will Self’s shop-soiled hot mess of a memoir is one of the most whiny, petty, morally destitute books I’ve ever read. Self says he was jealous of former friend Edward St Aubyn for having been sexually abused by his father because it “would make good copy”.
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If we were talking about a fairly unknown author I wouldn’t care nearly as much but the truth matters, especially with so much misinformation. I’m disappointed a publisher would allow this. Here is my original piece.
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The thing about Hilary Mantel, which I wrote when I reviewed her The Mirror and the Light, is that she makes (made, oh god) 99% of contemporary fiction feel so utterly pale and bloodless by comparison. After just a few sentences, you’re thinking – yes, this is how it’s done.
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I remember when Gordon Brown took over as PM and it felt like such a huge clear-your-diaries moment but getting a new PM in the current era feels more like “is it bin day again?”
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A friend who I haven’t seen in a while out of the blue sent me this poem by Charles Causley. He said he was reeling from the final line.
I know very little about Causley other than he was admired by Ted Hughes and Philip Larkin.
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Is there a correct way to mourn? I wrote about my mother’s death and how I turned to books for answers. My final
@NewStatesman
essay - now as Sunday Times Lit Ed - is online with no paywall. (I’m v nervous about posting but since it’s already on Twitter…)
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The memorial service for Dame Hilary Mantel was deeply moving and, to quote her, “violently interesting”. Many magnificent speakers: Zadie Smith on how Mantel began writing, Mark Rylance reading from Wolf Hall, and a fascinating extract from her unfinished novel, Provocation 1/2
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When the
@NewStatesman
asked me to write about men who watch porn in the office, I realised I could finally talk about the sexual harassment I experienced at work and why I quit my career.
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Six-year old announced at 9am that he was planning to be 93% helpful today but now has informed me “it’s just not possible. I’m not old enough. I will start at 70% and work up.”
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News! The Times and Sunday Times has a new chief literary critic - and I’m delighted to say it’s me. Congratulations to
@robbiemillen
who will rule over the seven-day operation with the brilliantly talented
@HackettLaura
and
@sgoldsbrough1
. I’ll continue to run
@YoungWriterYear
.
SOME MEGALOMANIAC NEWS. The Times & Sunday Times books desks have been merged. I'm now literary editor for both titles;
@JohannaTC
is our mighty chief literary critic;
@sgoldsbrough1
&
@HackettLaura
are my firebreathing deputies. Woof. Go Team
@TheTimesBooks
!
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First night in my new neighbourhood. I think this is going to work quite nicely.
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I’m very excited to say that Zadie Smith is the winner of this year’s Sunday Times Award for Literary Excellence.
Here’s my profile, which explains why we chose her.
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Heartbroken that my 9-year old now says English is his worst subject at school. “All we ever so is things like subordinate clauses. We never get to write stories.”
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Happy 2023! I’m excited to begin my new role as literary editor of The Sunday Times tomorrow, working with
@HackettLaura
, who has done an excellent job of running the section since Oct. Today’s paper has some fantastic books coverage. Nine reviews and an intvw with Bonnie Garmus!
A new chapter begins: I’m thrilled to say that from January 2023, I will be the new literary editor of The Sunday Times. It is, in my opinion, the best job in books journalism and it's a real honour to be following in the footsteps of so many fine editors 1/3
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Struggling to believe there hasn’t been a mistake here but I appear to have been shortlisted for Critic of the Year
@PressAwardsuk
, which is rare for us humble book reviewers. I’m in such grand company too (
@LauraCummingArt
❤️)
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So I have friends who are single parents who looked after kids on their own when they had the virus. I also have friends with severely disabled kids who stayed at home. Cummings didn’t have exceptional circumstances.
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And I'm delighted that I’ll be editing the section with the talented
@HackettLaura
, who is now promoted to deputy literary editor. We hope to produce the most spirited, the most interesting, and the most authoritative books section - and to have fun along the way! 3/3
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I’d heard a rumour that Foyles in Bristol had got rid of its fiction section but I simply couldn’t believe it, especially since Nielsen figures show fiction sales are up. I went in today to check for myself. Only a few tables of novels there. How sad and incredibly strange.
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A friend of mine who has worked in public health for nearly two decades said last night “it is Dickensian out there. The poverty we are now seeing is terrifying.”
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Ok, I’m probably going to regret asking this but we are building our big list and… what are the most exciting books (fiction and non-fiction) coming out in 2024? What have we missed?
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All I want for Christmas is to not have to read another bland ingenue novel about love, sex and desire by the next Sally Rooney…
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Great Morning Call from
@stephenkb
showing how far we’ve come and how far we have to go... but yes, let’s cherish that Southgate/Saka embrace.
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This is the novel I’m going to be pressing into people’s hands for years. It’s absolutely brilliant. I want to discuss it with everyone.
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Today we are thinking about comfort reads, the novels and stories that transport us to another place when we’re feeling a bit glum and anxious. Which books cheer you up?
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Wow... let
@garyyounge
’s bookcases bring you joy today. Glorious bibliophilia at work here.
Gary Younge brings the thunder with working bookcase credibility for the ages. Books topple, are shoved in, others are lobbed on top, left to make a home where they land. There is an overspill capped by a mystery pile of texts. The whole thing is a ragged, dazzling masterpiece.
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If The Bookseller says it's real, it must be.
Thanks for all the good wishes. It's heartening to be reminded that people really, really care about books and rigorous, spirited literary journalism.
“I’m excited to be working with a group of brilliant book reviewers, an excellent culture team and our many partners in the publishing world."
@JohannaTC
has been appointed as the new literary editor of the Sunday Times.
Read here:
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I wasn’t planning to post on here but apparently this is already all over social media. On Friday, we lost our extraordinary mother, Annie Thomas. She died at home where 24 hours earlier we’d held a party to celebrate her 73rd birthday.
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As I push a massive, sleeping three-year old, a laptop, two hardbacks and a bag of washing up a hill in the rain, I’m recalling the story I was told the other night of a former Literary Editor who was chauffeured to and from work each day.
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@silverwoodcope
Thank you!
Truly is the whiniest narcissist I’ve ever come across (in a highly competitive field). Mocking another’s account of their trauma and then trying to make it yours is both pathetic and chilling
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I'm excited to be working with a group of brilliant book reviewers, an excellent Culture team and our many partners in the publishing world. I look forward to building on the legacy of
@aholgate
, who has given me many of my best opportunities. 2/3
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It’s Booker Prize day. Who will win — and who should win?
It felt very special to have my first piece as incoming literary editor of The Sunday Times in the paper’s 200th anniversary edition. I went out very early to get a copy (and then lost it!)
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I always imagined that if there was any real possibility of nuclear war, it would be the only thing worrying me but it’s currently about fourth or fifth on the list.
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Hello again book people. So now I want to know about exciting new fiction published from January 2022 onwards... thank you.
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What are the most exciting books being published between now and Christmas? We have built a mega master list but want to make sure we’ve included everything.
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Hello book people. Exciting non-fiction for Spring 2022? (Can’t believe I’m writing that, where have the last two years gone?)
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This might be the worst book I’ve ever reviewed.
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I’m so excited to reveal our shortlist for the 2024 Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Young Writer of the Year award. Four brilliant debut writers: Tom Crewe, Michael Magee, Momtaza Mehri and Noreen Masud.
Read all about them here:
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Book people! We have built a huge beast of a list with all the new book releases between now and Feb 2024… but just to be safe, what should we 👀 for?
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Briefly tiptoeing back to social media because the Granta list is out and I’ve been wading through as many of the authors’ books as I could get my hands on. My take on it will be in this week’s Sunday Times books pages.
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Anyone else going back to paper diaries? The last time I got one - a beautiful Faber poetry hardback - was 2020 and it didn’t see much action.
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My six-year old can no longer write his name with the letters facing the right way but he can tell you the ingredients of a negroni and explain the meaning of 'meta'. It's like a home school for budding Truman Capotes.
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I had the honour, if you can call it that, of being one of the only women (the only?!) to review Michel Houellebecq’s new novel for a UK publication. Thanks to my editor at
@ObsNewReview
for some imaginative commissioning.
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I’m always fascinated by how many young journalists and literary critics keep well-thumbed copies of Martin Amis’s The War on Cliché within arm’s reach. Spotted it twice this week on two different desks.
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Exciting Bristol books news! We have a new independent bookshop in Clifton. Heron Books opens today in the Clifton Arcade, run by Lizzie Moss. The city now has a thriving indie scene. Long may it last! 📚
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Very strange the disproportionate number of male critics and writers who are quoted on the book jackets of novels when we all know most of the readers (and critics) are women. I recall the time a throwaway comment from my husband (not a critic) was chosen over my positive review.
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I’m thrilled to announce our shortlist for The Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Young Writer of the Year award. Our four outstanding shortlistees are Katherine Rundell, Tom Benn, Lucy Burns and Maddie Mortimer. Congratulations!
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Later this morning I will be announcing the winner of this year’s Sunday Times Literary Excellence Award.
Past winners include Ted Hughes, Muriel Spark, Harold Pinter, Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie, Ian McEwan, Kazuo Ishiguro, Julian Barnes, John le Carré and Elena Ferrante.
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Guilty as charged.
Just had my favourite kinda call from an editor: “Do you mind if we change your ‘wanker’ to a ‘tosser’?”
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A very moving evening celebrating the launch of Eliza Griffiths’s Promise, a beautifully crafted, tender novel with so much striking imagery. Wonderful too to see Salman Rushdie in London and relishing her success. An evening full of warmth and humility.
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Perhaps the most unlikely joint byline ever but death has a way of bringing people together…
… Will Self and I remember Martin Amis in today’s Sunday Times.
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I’ve locked myself in my cold library with about 40 books (only some shown here) and a lot of coffee to decide on my best fiction of the year picks. I’m not allowed to come out until I’ve whittled the pile down to 12.
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I went to New York to interview one of my favourite novelists, Colson Whitehead. He had plenty to say on cancel culture, the Supreme Court “nutjobs”, how he grew out of being a literary hipster, and why he’s now turned to crime.
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I put 100+ books on front garden wall yesterday and most have gone. Chatted to a mature student studying Eng Lit, a group of six people in their twenties and an old man who asked “how do you know what’s good?” Now from bed I’m listening to a great chat between two guys…. 1/2
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My first ever Culture cover feature - and it’s a beauty! I interviewed Tenacious Terry (Deary) on 30 years of Horrible Histories. His brilliant collaborator, Martin Brown, has created this unique design for us. The interview is every bit as colourful and irreverent!
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Having remained dry-eyed (but tense) for most of lockdown, I just cried confused patriotic tears during the first
@bbcbitesize
Primary exercise/maths challenge. It’s like the cavalry have finally arrived! Thank you BBC! Strange what finally gets you.
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Many things feel really tough and really cruel right now but this news offers great hope.
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Lewis Goodall is just brilliant. He clearly combines genuine flair with hard graft, which is always thrilling to watch. Exciting too that he’s reuniting with my other favourite broadcaster
@maitlis
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One of the many reasons Katherine Rundell is such a unique figure on the books scene is that while so many of her contemporaries have chosen the path sad girl lit, she manages to find such wonder in the world. Here’s one of the most moving passages in Impossible Creatures:
In January, a writer I know predicted that “girl crushes” on Katherine Rundell would be a 2023 trend. So I couldn’t pass up an interview with her.
We discussed violence in kids’ books, the death of her sister, being arrested for protesting + much more.
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Thanks for all the kind comments about my New Statesman piece on sexual harassment. I finally found the guts to write it after reading Laura Bates’s ferociously clear-sighted new book, Fix the System, Not the Women. Here’s my review (not yet online) in today’s
@ObsNewReview
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Katherine Rundell picked up The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction. Super-Infinite, about the life and work of John Donne, is passionate, irreverent, surprising (it’s v funny) and doesn’t let up. She’s splitting the prize money between climate change and refugee charities.
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If you want to understand more about how
@RosamundUrwin
and colleagues built a strong body of evidence for the Russell Brand story, listen to this. Ros is so eloquent on matters like checking her sources are credible and also avoiding cross-contamination of sources.
NEW:
@TheNewsAgents
on Russell Brand
-The journalism with
@RosamundUrwin
-The scandal of the reaction from many who should know better
-What it says about it our media & our culture
-Why some of these stories emerge and some don’t.
Listen now
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This is what I got from my eldest while the three-year old gave me a sculpture he created of a heart made of stone. “I don’t love love,” he shouted.
#MothersDay
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How did my name end up on Jordan Peterson’s book? Can we trust anything we read on a book jacket? Will this change the way I review?
My thoughts on “puffgate”.
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What are your favourite comfort reads? I’ve written about 15 books that bring comfort and cheer in today’s
@timesculture
.
Also includes books by Salman Rushdie, Esi Edugyan, Clare Chambers, Elizabeth von Arnim… and more!
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MAJOR BOOKS NEWS!
Forget Sally Rooney, Alan Hollinghurst is back in town! Our Evenings (out Oct) sounds intensely Hollinghurstian with a protagonist who is exposed to “heady new possibilities” at boarding school.
(Although Dave Win sounds more like an Amis name)
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*JUDGES ANNOUNCEMENT*
I’m so delighted that Anne Enright,
@Catrionaward
, Mendez,
@DaljitNagra4
and
@j_mcconnachie
will join me to judge the Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Young Writer of the Year award
@YoungWriterYear
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This photo will always feel special because it captures my first year as lit editor and as a judge of our
@youngwriteryear
prize. We had a dazzling shortlist and a great winner. I urge you to read Super-Infinite, Oxblood, Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies and Larger than an Orange.
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Just some of the books we’ll be featuring in this week’s Sunday Times books section.
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Sound of 6-year old weeping in his bed. Turns out trying to read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to himself but he’s stumped by the word “merest”. I give him a pencil and tell him to circle every word he doesn’t understand.
“Am I a book reviewer now?” he calls out.
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Never imagined I’d praise William Waldegrave but I like the cut of his jib about how post-Brexit Britain needs to (finally) face up to the fact it’s a small country and adopt a new narrative. When’s his book, Three Circles Into One out?
#Newsnight
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Writing about the Booker shortlist and I keep coming back to the wonderfully simple line from Claire Keegan's Small Things Like These: “was there any point in being alive without helping one another?”
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My mum loved political moments like this. We’d often sit for hours in front of BBC News 24 with crisps and a G&T. It isn’t half as fun same without her yelling at the TV.
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Provocation was inspired by Pride & Prejudice and told from the perspective of Mary Bennett, who is thoroughly unimpressed by Mr Darcy. V funny. Ben Miles, who worked with Mantel on her RSC adaptation, spoke beautifully too but most moving was her lifelong friend, Anne Peterson.
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Last night, I was delighted to present
@TomCrewe1
with the Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Young Writer of the Year Award. Here is my interview with Tom, who didn’t know at the time that he’d won.
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I just bloody love Polly Harvey. Fabulous defence of arts funding in ST Culture.
“Without an avenue for self-expression, we become diseased - as a nation, as people. Diseased, ill at ease; and things go wrong - with the body, with the mind.”
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Remembering my brilliant, singular mother, Annie Thomas, on her birthday. It’s two years this weekend since we lost her. I wrote about it for
@newstatesman
and they made an audio recording. I’ve not yet managed to listen all the way through. One day.
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On the best
@TheBookerPrizes
table with Paul Murray, author of The Bee Sting, one of my favourite novels of the year and without doubt the best on this year’s Booker list.
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Colin Barrett’s brilliant dark comic debut novel about a kidnapping held me captive until the very last page. Loved it.
My Sunday Times review is up early.
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In January, a writer I know predicted that “girl crushes” on Katherine Rundell would be a 2023 trend. So I couldn’t pass up an interview with her.
We discussed violence in kids’ books, the death of her sister, being arrested for protesting + much more.
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Do we have to make reading part of the culture wars?
(Lots of background agonising went into this piece…)
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Publishers! We are def lacking a lot of your books for September, both fiction and none fiction. Do please check to see what you have sent us. About 60% books we opened today were not relevant to our books section.
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Just some of the books we’re covering in this week’s Sunday Times.
Plus: a profile of Zadie Smith, author of The Fraud and many other brilliant books. Zadie is this year’s winner of our Sunday Times Literary Excellence Award.
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Love that my husband took me away to a hotel that’s opposite Europe’s largest bookshop!
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We partly moved to Bristol so I could avoid becoming one of those people who talks incessantly about north London school catchment areas. Now we're moving back to London and, well... I'm really sorry.
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I reviewed a book on the history of sex for today's Sunday Times. Despite its impressive girth, it wasn't particularly penetrating.
A reviewing tour de force in Sunday Times by Johanna Thomas-Corr
“Lister hopes to ‘extract the prudish stick from the arse of society’. Is that where it’s been all this time? Well, never mind, now she has it & she’s waving it around, pointing at things”
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New opportunities are often bittersweet. I’m so sad to be saying goodbye to my
@newstatesman
associates, esp editor extraordinaire
@tomgatti
, the sanest, most patient man in journalism. I’ll miss his wry wit and good sense. It’s been a privilege and education to write for the NS
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Slept through the alarm but five-year old burst in fully dressed, having made himself breakfast and brushed his teeth: “morning guys! Don’t worry, I’ve done the washing up.” Surreal.
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In this week’s
@NewStatesman
I reviewed Ian McEwan’s big, baggy new novel, Lessons. It is, IMHO, his best in 20 years.
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