Norman Geras of NormBlog

I was very sad to learn this morning of the passing of Norman Geras. Norman was a writer, academic and wrote the wonderful NormBlog which is, and will remain, much respected for its insights on a bit of everything but always with a lot of bookish thought behind it. It is a blog I have followed and respected for many years. Norman was also an extremely generous person. I sadly never met him (though have had the pleasure of his daughter Sophie’s acquaintance for some time and his wife Adele and I have communicated through comments on this blog and many others) yet we would email on occasion or tweet about bookish bits and bobs. Not regularly but now and again. He was one of the very old school of bloggers who I was slightly daunted by back when I began, Norman made me feel most welcome, the moment I was asked to take part in his NormBlog Profiles in 201o I knew I had made it, ha!

Norman has left a literary legacy behind though for us all, both in his blog and in particular this list of 100 books that he loved which I think you should all go and have a gander. I am off to email some bloggers of old and see if we might get a project in his honour going.

If there is a book club ‘up there’ (if up there exists) I like to think that Granny Savidge Reads will seek him out and make him join, as I am sure she joined as soon as she arrived, and they can sit and banter about books.  His presence is going to be much missed around the blogosphere and in the bookish world. My thoughts go to his wife Adele and daughters Jenny and Sophie and all his loved ones.