Simon Beattie
Simon Beattie | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 5, 1975 Aylesbury, England |
| Occupation(s) | Antiquarian bookseller, literary translator, composer |
| Known for | Antiquarian bookselling; literary translation; choral composition |
'Simon Beattie (born 5 February 1975 in Aylesbury) is a British specialist in antiquarian books, a literary translator, and a composer of music. He gained recognition as the first British bookseller to be showcased in Fine Books Magazines Bright Young Things feature. Upon his 2011 induction into the Antiquarian Booksellers Association, he was highlighted as "a dealer to watch" (October 2011, Issue 364, p. 15).
Beattie's academic background includes studies at Aylesbury Grammar School followed by the University of Exeter, where he graduated with a double first in German and Russian in 1997 and completed an MA in Lexicography the following year. After undertaking freelance lexicographical projects for Bloomsbury Publishing and Oxford University Press, he began working with Bernard Quaritch Ltd in 1998.
In January 2010, Beattie established his own independent business based in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, focusing on European cross-cultural historical materials. His series of printed catalogues, titled Short Lists, have earned numerous accolades such as the 2010 McNaughton Review award in the catalogue category, Gold Awards at both the 2011 Fresh Awards and Roses Design Awards, Best Publication at the 2011 Cream Awards, a Bronze award from the Art Directors Club New York (2012), In Book recognition at the D&AD awards (2013), and a Premier Award at the ISTD Awards in 2014.
The Book Collector commended his inaugural catalogue with the remark: "If you have not got a copy of Beattie Short List 1, get it at once" (Autumn 2010). In 2012, he was honored with a Smarta 100 Award celebrating innovative small enterprises within the UK. Since 2014, he has contributed as an instructor at the York Antiquarian Book Seminar. In 2018, Beattie spearheaded an international booksellers’ protest against AbeBooks’ exit from several markets including the Czech Republic and South Korea.
His translation portfolio features Gottfried Benn’s poem Morgue (2018), selections from Rainer Maria Rilke and Anna Akhmatova, as well as Friedo Lampe’s novel At the Edge of the Night, published by Hesperus Press in 2019.
As a composer, Beattie specializes in choral works. His musical adaptation of Rowan Williams' Advent Calendar was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in 2008 and has been performed globally. In 2020, his composition The Angel and the Unicorn, inspired by a Rilke poem he translated, debuted with the Choir of Selwyn College, Cambridge.