Richard Hoggart was born 101 years ago, and published his most famous book, The Uses of Literacy, in 1957, yet his writing remains relevant today. Why should we still read him? In this talk I will discuss the significance of his urban Yorkshire upbringing to his interpretation of ‘the full rich life’, and how his emotionally troubling journey through the education system formed one of ‘four or five tributaries’ –to use his words – that fed into his writing. In a time when the unifying threads of our disparate and varied culture seem to be fraying, his work offers a striking contribution to our understanding of how cultures are lived and generated.
Lynsey Hanley was born in Birmingham and lives in Liverpool. She is the author of ESTATES: AN INTIMATE HISTORY (Granta, 2007), RESPECTABLE: THE EXPERIENCE OF CLASS (Penguin, 2016), and wrote the Introduction to the Penguin Modern Classics edition of Richard Hoggart’s THE USES OF LITERACY (2009). She is a regular contributor to the Guardian, the Financial Times and the LRB blog,and is a visiting research fellow at Liverpool John Moores University.
Free admission, all welcome
Venue Details
Situated at the heart of the University of Hull campus, the Brynmor Jones Library provides extensive services to both the students and people of Hull. Facilities include a café with quality barista coffee, an exhibition hall that is home to temporary exhibitions, an art gallery showcasing the University’s outstanding collection of British art and an observatory offering stunning views of the campus.
Facilities
Accessible Information Points
Accessible Toilets
Assistance Dogs
Blue-Badge Parking
Hearing Loop
Level Access
Wheelchair Access