| Level | Item |
| Ref No | MEM/JAA |
| Title | Memoir of John Ardagh 1961-1966 |
| Date | October 2001 |
| Extent | 1 item |
| Creator Name | Ardagh; John Anthony C (1928-); journalist |
| Description | Memoirs of John Ardagh's time at the Observer.
John spent five years as a staff reporter and feature writer at the Observer (from 1961- 66), focusing mainly on the arts, media and publishing. He recalls the 'swinging London' of the era, and his encounters with the Beatles and a young David Frost. Previously he had worked for The Times and ITN.
He includes details of co-workers and pieces written, including profiles of King Baudouin of Belgium and Jean Genet, as well trips to Hollywood and Paris, where he interviewed Jean-Luc Godard.
His disenchantment with the paper began when they turned an article of his down. He published it in the Guardian and was subsequently repremanded.
Wishing to write books, John left the paper in 1966 for a job on The Good Food Guide, before becoming fully freelance in 1968.
John resumed freelance writing (mainly travel pieces) for the Observer in the 1980s. He wrote his last article in February 2001. |
| Admin History | John Ardagh joined the Observer as staff reporter and feature writer in 1960 and left in 1966 to work for the Good Food Guide. He resumed writing travel articles for the Observer as a freelancer in the 1980s to 2001. |
| Custodial History | Part of project by the Observer to gather material for the archive. |
| Access Status | Open |
| Format | Typescript |
| Copyright | John Ardagh |
Show related Persons records.