Peter Owen | |
---|---|
Born | Peter Offenstadt 24 February 1927
Nuremberg, Germany |
Died | 31 May 2016
London, England | (aged 89)
Nationality | British |
Occupation | Publisher |
Known for | Founder of OBE |
Peter Owen OBE (24 February 1927 – 31 May 2016) was a British publisher, the founder of Peter Owen Publishers. [1] [2] [3]
He was born Peter Offenstadt in Nuremberg in 1927, with rickets, the only child of a German Jewish couple. [2] [3] His mother was Winifred Offenstadt. [2]
He was sent to live with his grandmother in England at the age of five, later to be joined by his parents, who were reluctant to leave Germany. [4]
In 1948, at the age of 21, Owen went into partnership with Neville Armstrong in a publishing enterprise called Peter Neville. [5] This lasted until 1955. [6] He went on to found Peter Owen Publishers in 1951.
He was awarded the OBE for services to literature in 2014. [7]
Owen's funeral instructions included, "no religious crap of any kind". [2]