Tom Hodgkinson

{{Infobox writer

| name = Tom Hodgkinson

| image = Tom hodgkinson.jpg

| caption = Hodgkinson at 2009 event, "The Great Escape"

| pseudonym =

| birth_name =

| birth_date = 1968

| birth_place = Newcastle, England

| death_date =

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| occupation = Journalist, author

| citizenship =

| education =

| alma_mater = Jesus College, Cambridge

| period = 1993–present

| genre = Politics, satire

| subject =

| movement = Idling

| notableworks = The Idler (editor)
How to be Idle
How to be Free
The Idle Parent

| spouse =

| partner =

| children =

| relatives =

| signature =

| website = {{URL|idler.co.uk}}

}}

Tom Hodgkinson (born 1968) is a British writer and the editor of The Idler magazine, which he established in 1993 with his friend Gavin Pretor-Pinney. His philosophy, in his published books and articles, is of a relaxed approach to life, enjoying it as it comes rather than toiling for an imagined better future. The Idler was named after a series of essays written by Dr Johnson from 1758 to 1760.

Biography

Tom Hodgkinson was born in Newcastle, England. He is the brother of journalist and author Will Hodgkinson; their father is the science and medical writer Neville Hodgkinson and their mother is the prolific non-fiction writer and journalist Liz Hodgkinson.[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/10862459/The-House-Is-Full-of-Yogis-by-Will-Hodgkinson-review.html Review by Mick Brown in The Telegraph of The House Is Full of Yogis by Will Hodgkinson]http://www.lizhodgkinson.com/lh/biography Biography page on Liz Hodgkinson's website

Hodgkinson was educated at Westminster School and Jesus College, Cambridge, during which time he played the bass guitar in the Stupids-influenced thrash band Chopper. He lived in North Devon until 2013. He currently lives in London.{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/tom-hodgkinson-having-successfully-quit-the-rat-race-i-now-find-myself-trying-to-get-back-into-it-8884380.html|title=Tom Hodgkinson: Having successfully quit the rat race, I now find myself trying to get back into it|work=The Independent|date=17 October 2013 |access-date=20 September 2014}}

In the early 1990s, he worked at a Rough Trade Records shop in London, where he had the idea for The Idler.{{cite web|url=http://wringham.co.uk/the-great-escape-tom-hodgkinson-with-neil-scott/|title=The Great Escape: Tom Hodgkinson (with Neil Scott)|access-date=20 September 2014}} In the late 1990s, he became an importer of absinthe.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/feb/07/featuresreviews.guardianreview|title=Review: Hideous Absinthe by Jad Adams – Books – The Guardian|author=Tom Hodgkinson|work=The Guardian|date=7 February 2004 |access-date=20 September 2014}}

From 1995 to 1997 he was Joint Head of Creative Development at Guardian Newspapers, where he worked for Carolyn McCall and Alan Rusbridger.{{fact|date=June 2019}}

From 1997 to 2002 he and Gavin Pretor-Pinney ran Idle Industries, a creative consultancy with clients such as Channel 4, The Guardian, Sony PlayStation, ad agency Mother, Paramount TV and Oakley. The pair launched the Crap Towns series of books.{{fact|date=June 2019}}

Hodgkinson has contributed articles to The Sunday Telegraph, The Guardian and The Sunday Times as well as being the author of the Idler spin-offs, How To Be Idle, How To Be Free and The Idle Parent.

How to Be Idle has been translated into 25 languages and was a best-seller in the UK, US, Italy, Germany and the Czech Republic.{{fact|date=June 2019}}

In 2006 he created National Unawareness Day, to be celebrated on 1 November.{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2006/nov/01/november1nationalunawarenes1 | date=November 2006 | newspaper=The Guardian | title=November 1: National Unawareness Day}}

In March 2011 he and his partner Victoria Hull launched The Idler Academy in London, a school running courses in philosophy, public speaking, grammar, ukulele, singing, drawing, calligraphy, astronomy, foraging, bread baking, bartitsu and small business.{{cite news | title=Truth, beauty... idleness | url=https://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/features/culture/truth-beautyidleness/417148.article | newspaper=Times Higher Education | date=August 2011 | author=Matthew Reisz }}{{cite web | url=https://thecreativelife.net/tom-hodgkinson/ | title=Tom Hodgkinson: The hardest working man in slow business | date=29 November 2021 }}

In April 2013 he launched the Idler Academy Bad Grammar Award,{{cite news | title=Just how bad is bad grammar? | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-22378402 | date=May 2013 | publisher=BBC News }} and in September 2013 he launched the Ukulele Player of the Year competition. Bloomsbury UK and Bloomsbury US published his and Gavin's book, The Ukulele Handbook.{{cite news | title=Tom Hodgkinson: 'Jeremy Clarkson howled with horror and crawled under the table to escape' | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/tom-hodgkinson-jeremy-clarkson-howled-with-horror-and-crawled-under-the-table-to-escape-8779090.html | newspaper=The Independent | date=August 2013}}