Tom Maschler facts for kids

Thomas Michael Maschler (August 16, 1933 – October 15, 2020) was a British publisher and writer. He led the publishing company Jonathan Cape for over 30 years, starting in 1960. Maschler is famous for starting the important Booker Prize in 1969. This award celebrates great books from Britain, Ireland, and other Commonwealth countries. He helped publish books by many famous writers like Ernest Hemingway, Joseph Heller, Gabriel García Márquez, and Salman Rushdie. He even published books by John Lennon!

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Early Years

Tom Maschler was born in Berlin, Germany, on August 16, 1933. His parents were Austrian Jewish. His father worked as a publisher's representative. When Tom was five years old, his family had to leave Vienna and move to the UK. This was after the Nazis took over Austria. After his parents separated, he moved to Henley-on-Thames with his mother.

He studied at the Leighton Park School. Later, he traveled a lot. He spent time in a kibbutz in Israel and worked in different jobs in the US. He even wrote for big newspapers like the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times. When he returned home, he worked as a tour guide. He also served in the Royal Air Force, learning Russian.

Publishing Career

Maschler began his career in publishing in 1955. He first worked at André Deutsch and then at MacGibbon & Kee. While at MacGibbon & Kee, he published his first collection of essays called Declaration in 1957. This book featured essays from many important writers of that time. After this, he joined Penguin Books as an assistant editor for fiction.

He later became the head of Jonathan Cape after its founder passed away. One of his first projects at Cape was working with Mary Hemingway. She had papers left by her husband, Ernest Hemingway. These papers became the book A Moveable Feast, published in 1964.

As the leader of Jonathan Cape, Maschler helped create a larger publishing group. He found and published many new writers. These included Gabriel García Márquez, Ian McEwan, and Bruce Chatwin. One of his early successes was buying the rights to Joseph Heller's book Catch-22 for a small amount of money. He also published two books by John Lennon, In His Own Write (1964) and A Spaniard in the Works (1965). He also published Salman Rushdie's famous book Midnight's Children in 1981.

Creating the Booker Prize

Tom Maschler was a key person in starting the Booker Prize in 1969. He wanted to create a British award similar to a famous French prize called the Prix Goncourt. He saw how the French award helped sell more books. So, he talked to Jock Campbell from the Booker–McConnell company. Together, they set up the award for British books.

P. H. Newby was the very first winner of the prize in 1969. The Booker–McConnell group sponsored the prize for many years. Later, other groups like the Man Group and Crankstart took over the sponsorship.

In 1991, Maschler stepped down as chairman of Jonathan Cape. This happened when the company was sold to Random House Publishing. His autobiography, Publisher, was published in 2005.

Challenges in Publishing

Sometimes, Maschler was criticized for being very direct in his publishing style. Some people felt he was great at finding books that would sell well, but perhaps less interested in books just for their own sake.

He also played a role in a difficult time for the novelist Barbara Pym. In 1963, Maschler decided not to publish her seventh novel, An Unsuitable Attachment. Jonathan Cape had published all her earlier books. Pym felt she was treated unfairly. It took 14 years for her to have another novel published. She never fully forgave Maschler. After she passed away, Maschler appeared in a TV film in 1992. In it, he talked about his decision to reject her novel.

Personal Life

Tom Maschler married his first wife, Fay Coventry, in 1970. She later became a restaurant critic. They had three children together. They divorced in 1987. He then married his second wife, Regina Kulinicz, in 1988. He lived in London, France, and Mexico.

He passed away on October 15, 2020, at the age of 87.