George Tremlett
George Tremlett | |
|---|---|
| Born | George William Tremlett 5 September 1939 England |
| Died | 30 October 2021 (aged 82) Laugharne, Wales |
| Occupation(s) | Writer, bookshop proprietor, politician |
| Years active | 1957–2021 |
| Known for | Biographies of David Bowie, Dylan Thomas, Muammar Gaddafi; Conservative politician on Greater London Council |
George William Tremlett OBE (5 September 1939 – 30 October 2021) was a distinguished English writer, proprietor of a bookshop, and political figure.
Writing
Following his education at King Edward VI School, Stratford-upon-Avon, Tremlett began his career in 1957 at the Coventry Evening Telegraph, where he contributed as a television columnist and reviewer of pop music. By 1961, he transitioned into freelance rock journalism. Throughout the 1970s, he authored multiple paperback books centered on pop culture, notably including The David Bowie Story, recognized as the earliest biography of the artist. In the early 1990s, he released a biography focusing on former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Tremlett also produced biographies of both Dylan Thomas and his spouse Caitlin. His work Caitlin: Life with Dylan Thomas (1987) was informed by an interview with Caitlin conducted in Catania. He famously characterized Dylan Thomas as "the first rock star." In collaboration with James Nashold in 1997, Tremlett published The Death of Dylan Thomas, which disputed the accepted cause of Thomas' demise, attributing it instead to medical negligence rather than alcohol poisoning.
In 1982, he relocated to Laugharne, the town where Thomas spent his last years, and managed the Corran Bookshop. This establishment functioned as both a cultural centre and tourist information point, earning a nomination for the Carmarthenshire Business Awards in 2005.
Tremlett passed away at age 82 in his Laugharne residence on 30 October 2021.
Politics
As a Conservative representative for Twickenham on the Greater London Council (GLC), Tremlett held the position of head of Housing Policy under Horace Cutler and served briefly as Deputy Leader. Diverging from his party's official line, he opposed the dissolution of the GLC, which ultimately led to his departure from the Conservative group within the council. In an article for the Morning Star, Tremlett revealed that Margaret Thatcher had personally committed the Conservative Party to abolishing the GLC due to perceiving Ken Livingstone as a political threat. His contributions to housing policy were later highlighted in the BBC documentary series The Secret History of Our Streets (Arnold Circus).
In 1979, Tremlett authored Living Cities, offering a critical analysis of Conservative housing policies.
Personal life
His spouse Jane serves as an independent County Councillor. Together they have four sons—Ben, Jack, Huw, and Peter—and one daughter named Caroline.