Claud Cockburn (1904–81) was a British journalist, author, and political commentator. He made significant contributions to journalism and became known for his fearless investigative reporting and left-wing political views.
Born in Peking (now Beijing,) China, Cockburn’s career in journalism began in the 1920s when he joined the Daily Worker, a communist newspaper. He covered various international events, including the Spanish Civil War, where he reported on the Republican cause and the atrocities committed by fascist forces.
Throughout his career, Cockburn wrote for several esteemed publications, including The Timesand The New Statesman. He was known for his incisive analysis and sharp criticism of capitalism, imperialism, and political corruption. His reporting often challenged the established narratives and sought to expose hidden truths.
Cockburn’s work extended beyond journalism, as he also authored several books on political and historical subjects. His most notable work, The Coming of the Spanish Civil War, comprehensively analyzed the complex factors leading to the conflict.
After World War II, Cockburn relocated to Ireland, where he made notable contributions to newspapers and journals, including The Irish Times. Among his published works are Bestseller, which delves into English popular fiction, Aspects of English History (1957,) The Devil’s Decade (1973,) a historical account of the 1930s, and Union Power (1976.) His memoirs include In Time of Trouble (1956; published as A Discord of Trumpets in the United States,) Crossing the Line (1958,) and A View from the West (1961.)
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Nothing sets a person up more than having something turn out just the way it’s supposed to be, like falling into a Swiss snowdrift and seeing a big dog come up with a little cask of brandy round its neck.
—Claud Cockburn
Topics: Expectation
An autobiography should give the reader opportunity to point out the author’s follies and misconceptions.
—Claud Cockburn
Topics: Books
What arouses the indignation of the honest satirist is not, unless the man is a prig, the fact that people in positions of power or influence behave idiotically, or even that they behave wickedly. It is that they conspire successfully to impose upon the public a picture of themselves as so very sagacious, honest and well-intentioned.
—Claud Cockburn
Topics: Cynicism
Evidently there are plenty of people in journalism who have neither got what they liked nor quite grown to like what they get. They write pieces they do not much enjoy writing, for papers they totally despise, and the sad process ends by ruining their style and disintegrating their personality, two developments which in a writer cannot be separate, since his personality and style must progress or deteriorate together, like a married couple in a country where death is the only permissible divorce.
—Claud Cockburn
Topics: Journalism, Journalists
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