Michael Korda
| Michael Korda | |
|---|---|
| Born |
8 October 1933 London, United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Writer, editor |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | Britain |
| Education | Institut Le Rosey |
| Alma mater | Magdalen College, Oxford |
| Period | 1972–present |
| Notable works |
Charmed Lives Queenie |
| Spouse | Carolyn Keese (1958) Margaret Mogford |
| Children | Chris |
Michael Korda (born 8 October 1933) is an English-born writer and novelist who was editor-in-chief of Simon & Schuster in New York City.
Born in London, Michael Korda is the son of English actress Gertrude Musgrove, and artist and film production designer Vincent Korda. He is the nephew of Hungarian-born film magnate Sir Alexander Korda and brother Zoltan Korda, both film directors. Korda grew up in England but received part of his education in France where his father had worked with film director Marcel Pagnol. As a child, Korda also lived in the United States from 1941 to 1946. He was schooled at the private Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland and read History at Magdalen College, Oxford. He served in the Royal Air Force doing intelligence work in Germany.
The novelist Graham Greene was a lifelong friend. Korda met him on his Uncle Alex Korda's yacht.
Korda moved to New York City in 1957 where he worked for playwright Sidney Kingsley as a research assistant and then later as a freelance reader in the CBS story department. In 1958 he joined the book publishing firm, Simon & Schuster, starting as an assistant editor, which included the task of reading slush pile manuscripts for Henry Simon.
Many editors stick to one area of interest, but early on Korda demonstrated an ability and interest in editing both fiction and non-fiction. He states in his memoir that he edited books on everything from mathematics and philosophy, memoirs, fiction, translations from French, politics, anthropology and science history among others. One of the first books Korda bought was the Forest People by Colin Turnbull--a memoir of Turnbull's time living with Pygmie people.
After Robert Gottlieb left Simon & Schuster for Alfred E. Knopf, Korda became Editor-in-Chief of Simon & Schuster. Korda was a major figure in the book industry, publishing numerous works by high-profile writers and personalities such as William L. Shirer, Will and Ariel Durant, Harold Robbins,Irving Wallace,Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. Korda was a major part of Simon & Schuster for more than forty years and one of the most influential people in the business of book publishing. In the autumn of 1994, he was diagnosed as having prostate cancer. In 1997 he wrote Man to Man, which recounted his medical experience. In 2000, he published Another Life: A Memoir of Other People, about the world of publishing.
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