Michael Wharton
Michael Wharton | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Shipley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England |
| Died | January 23, 2006 (aged 92) |
| Occupation | Newspaper columnist |
| Years active | 1957–2006 |
| Known for | Writing under the pen name Peter Simple for the Daily Telegraph |
Michael Wharton (19 April 1913 – 23 January 2006) was a British newspaper columnist who gained recognition writing under the pen name Peter Simple for the Daily Telegraph. He introduced the "Way of the World" column alongside illustrator Michael ffolkes in early 1957, initially appearing three times weekly before increasing to four installments per week until 1987. Beginning 13 May 1990, he contributed a weekly Peter Simple column to the Sunday Telegraph, and from 8 March 1996 until his passing at age 92 in 2006, he resumed a weekly column in the Daily Telegraph. His final piece was published on 20 January 2006.
Life and career
Born as Michael Bernhard Nathan in Shipley, West Riding of Yorkshire, Wharton was the son of a German-Jewish businessman; he adopted "Wharton," his mother's maiden name, professionally. His education included Bradford Grammar School and Lincoln College, Oxford. His university years were largely unremarkable, partly due to his focus on writing the novel Sheldrake (released in 1958 to limited acclaim). Between 1940 and 1946, he served in the Royal Artillery, achieving the rank of Major and acting as Lieutenant-Colonel in Intelligence. Following military service, he worked at the BBC as a producer and scriptwriter until 1956.
Wharton authored two semi-autobiographical books, The Missing Will and A Dubious Codicil, which combined elements of fantasy with insights from his journalistic career. He was married three times; his daughter Jane Wharton is a psychotherapist and serves as his literary executor.
Wharton's characters
His columns frequently lampooned contemporary social trends through characters often perceived by readers as reflections of real individuals. The most prominent figure was Colonel Sibthorp, an eccentric Victorian-era Member of Parliament who was also featured in a BBC radio documentary in 1954 and honored with a centenary event the following year.
Controversy
Wharton's political stance was notably unconventional—characterized as feudalist and vehemently reactionary. He opposed notions of "Progress," communism, socialism, and voiced criticism toward capitalism's greed-driven elements.
He often expressed longing for an idealized bygone era and was critical of what he termed the "race relations industry." Among his satirical inventions was the "prejudometer," a fictional anti-racist apparatus designed to measure "prejudons," thereby highlighting alleged racial biases.
Despite his Jewish heritage, Wharton encountered accusations of racism and anti-Semitic undertones. For instance, he made contentious remarks about Ariel Sharon’s influence on Jewish perceptions and anti-Semitism within a satirical critique of the Boycott Israel campaign.
His obituary in The Guardian observed that his conservatism was positioned far to the right of mainstream conservatives, occasionally mourning Europe's lost heritage—even briefly referencing Hitler's New Order. Wharton himself viewed Hitler as a radical revolutionary fundamentally opposed to conservative values.
Related columns
From 25 to 28 August 1987, Wharton wrote four columns in one week for the last time. After expressing a wish to reduce his workload, Way of the World initially appeared thrice weekly before being reduced to twice weekly until spring 1990; during this period Christopher Booker produced it under the title Peter Simple II. Wharton maintained a weekly column—first on Fridays, then on Thursdays—until 3 May 1990. In that year, the Peter Simple and Way of the World columns fully separated; from 7 May 1990 until his death in January 2001, Auberon Waugh penned Way of the World. Satirist Craig Brown took over until departing from the Telegraph in late 2008. A. N. Wilson briefly revived Peter Simple II for the The Sunday Telegraph starting on 26 February 2006.
See also
Notable Admirers of Peter Simple
- Simon Hoggart – known for his parliamentary sketches in The Guardian.
- A. N. Wilson – acclaimed novelist and journalist.
- Auberon Waugh – took over as columnist at The Daily Telegraph following Wharton.
- Alexander Waugh – author and son of Auberon Waugh.
- Kingsley Amis, who penned the introduction to The Stretchford Chronicles: 25 Years of Peter Simple (1980).
Bibliography
- The Missing Will (1984) – autobiography, volume one
- A Dubious Codicil (1991) – second autobiography volume
- Sheldrake (1958) – fiction novel
Collections (featuring illustrations by Michael ffolkes)
- Way of the World (1) (1957)
- Way of the World (2) (1963)
- Peter Simple in Opposition (1965)
- More of Peter Simple (1969)
- The Thoughts of Peter Simple (1971)
- The World of Peter Simple (1973)
- A Choice of Peter Simple 1973–1975 (1975)
- Peter Simple's Way of the World 1975–1977 (1978)
- The Stretchford Chronicles: 25 Years of Peter Simple (1980)
- The Best of Peter Simple (1984)
- Far Away is Close at Hand (1995)
- Peter Simple's World (1998)
- Peter Simple's Century (1999)
- Peter Simple's Domain (2003)