(Henry) Bernard Levin CBE (August 19, 1928 - August 7, 2004) was an English journalist, author and broadcaster. Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire (Military division) The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority... August 19 is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ... August 7 is the 219th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (220th in leap years), with 146 days remaining. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... An author is the person who creates a written work, such as a book, story, article or the like. ... Note: broadcasting is also the old term for hand sowing. ...

He was educated at Christ's Hospital (which he found difficult because of his Jewish origins) and at the London School of Economics. Bluecoat School directs here. ... For other uses, see Jew (disambiguation). ... A brothel, also known as a bordello or whorehouse, is an establishment specifically dedicated to prostitution. ...

After graduating from the LSE, it was expected that Levin would read for the bar — however he set a course for journalism with his first assignment for Truth under the pseudonym of A.E. Cherryman. A bar association is a professional body of lawyers who, in some jurisdictions, are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession. ... A pseudonym (Greek pseudo + -onym: false name) is an artificial, fictitious name, also known as an alias, used by an individual as an alternative to a persons true name. ...

His talent was spotted in 1955 when he was offered a column in The Manchester Guardian. He wrote for The Spectator from 1956 until 1962 - his departure was a shock to many who saw him as a natural successor for the publication's editorship. He would later write for The Daily Mail, and The Daily Express. His longest standing appointment was his column for The Times from 1971 to 1997. His frequent mention in this column of his favourite composer Richard Wagner became something of a standing joke (although he also often expressed his admiration for Mozart as well). He was a regular habitué of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ... This article is about the British weekly magazine: there are articles on several other magazines called The Spectator such as Addison and Steeles influential literary magazine, The Spectator (1711), and the others can be found at The Spectator (disambiguation). ... Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... Editing is the process of preparing language, images, or sound for presentation through correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications. ... The Daily Mail and its Sunday edition the Mail on Sunday are British newspapers, first published in 1896. ... The Daily Express is a British newspaper, currently tabloid, and it is owned by Richard Desmond. ... The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom since 1785, and under its current name since 1788. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Wilhelm Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813 – February 13, 1883) was an influential German composer, conductor, music theorist, and essayist, primarily known for his operas (or music dramas as he later came to call them). ... Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (January 27, 1756 – December 5, 1791) was one of the most significant and influential of all composers of Western classical music. ... The Floral Hall of the Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House is a performing arts venue in London. ... Covent Garden is a district in central London and within the easterly bounds of the City of Westminster. ...

Levin also appeared regularly on television, including the series Face The Music and That Was The Week That Was. In the latter he interviewed prominent politicians and influential thinkers of the day, usually with a lack of reverence which was the programme's hallmark. He was awarded his CBE for services to journalism in 1990. He was renowned for his acerbic wit. In 1963, during the live weekly edition of TW3, he was assaulted by the Hon Desmond Arthur Peter Leslie, a member of the audience, for allegedly insulting his then wife, the actress Agnes Bernelle, in an article he'd written. The video of this event is available here [1] His activities also got him blackballed when he tried for membership of the Garrick Club. In 1971 he wrote an article in the Times called "Judgement on Lord Goddard" which attacked the recently deceased former Lord Chief Justice. Face The Music was a popular BBC television series about classical music. ... That Was The Week That Was, also known as TW3, was a satirical television comedy programme that aired on BBC Television in 1962 and 1963. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... MCMXC redirects here; for the Enigma album, see MCMXC a. ... Desmond Arthur Peter Leslie (29 June 1921, County Monaghan, Ireland-21 February 2001, Antibes, France) was a British pilot, film maker and writer among other things. ... Agnes Bernelle née Bernauer (7 March 1923 in Berlin-15 February 1999) was an actress and singer based in the United Kingdom for much of her career, though she later settled in the Irish Republic. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion, because: this is not an article and not even the basis for one If you disagree with its speedy deletion, please explain why on its talk page or at Wikipedia:Speedy deletions. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... The Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales is the second-highest judge of the Courts of England and Wales, after the Lord Chancellor, and the presiding judge of Criminal Division of the Court of Appeal, and of the Queens Bench Division of the High Court. ...

Levin never married, but had many girlfriends. He dated (and later lived with) fellow Face The Music panelist Arianna Stassinopoulos from 1971 until she left him in 1980 (saying later this was partly because he refused to marry her). Writing in The Sunday Times after his death, she described Levin as "the big love of my life". She was junior to him by more than 20 years. Arianna Huffington talks to the media while campaigning for governor of California at UC Berkeley on September 11, 2003. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper distributed in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International which is in turn owned by News Corporation. ...

Levin began to have difficulty with his balance as early as 1988, although his Alzheimer's Disease was not diagnosed until the early 1990s. He was nursed through the long degenerative phase of the illness by his long-term partner Liz Anderson, until his death. Anderson was also junior to him by more than 20 years. 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Society of Indexers in England has instituted an award in his name. His book reviews often contained comments on the quality of a book's index.

Levin's polemical writings enjoyed fame which few journalists have matched. One commentator called him the best English journalist since G K Chesterton.

Bibliography

• The Pendulum Years: Britain in the Sixties, 1970 ISBN 0-224-61963-2 (2003 reprint, ISBN 1-84046-418-6)
• Taking Sides, 1980, ISBN 0-330-26203-3
• Speaking up, 1982, ISBN 0-224-01729-2
• Enthusiasms, 1983, ISBN 0-224-02114-1
• The way we live now, 1984, ISBN 0-224-02272-5
• A Shakespeare mystery (Presidential address), 1984, ISBN 0-900232-15-3
• In These Times, 1986, ISBN 0-340-42434-6
• To the End of the Rhine, 1989, ISBN 0-340-49360-7
• All Things Considered, 1990, ISBN 0-340-51781-6
• Now Read on, 1991, ISBN 0-340-55983-7
• A Walk Up Fifth Avenue, 1991, ISBN 0-340-53127-4
• If You Want My Opinion, 1993, ISBN 0-340-58923-X
• A World Elsewhere, 1994, ISBN 0-340-63264-X
• I Should Say So, 1996, ISBN 0-340-67187-4
• Hannibal's Footsteps, 1997, ISBN 0-340-40433-7
• Enough Said, the last anthology of his newspaper columns

References

• Levin's obituary from The Times
• Debrett's People of Today. Debrett's Peerage Ltd., 2004.

External links

• Obituary in The Daily Telegraph, August 10, 2004
• Obituary in The Guardian by Quentin Crewe, August, 10, 2004
• Obituary in The Independent by Ciar Byrne, August 10, 2004