Deborah Orr

Deborah Orr
Born
Deborah Jane Orr

(1962-09-23)23 September 1962
Motherwell, Scotland
Died19 October 2019(2019-10-19) (aged 57)
OccupationJournalist
Years active1980s–2018
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1997; div. 2018)​
Children2

Deborah Jane Orr (23 September 1962 – 19 October 2019)[1][2] was a British journalist who worked for The Guardian, The Independent and other publications.[3]

Early life and education

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Orr was born on 23 September 1962[2] to Winifred "Win" and John Orr, a factory worker.[4] She was raised in Motherwell, Scotland.[5] She had one brother.[4] She attended Garrion Academy, Wishaw (which later merged with Wishaw High School to form Clyde Valley High School) and the University of St Andrews, from which she graduated with a degree in English in 1983.[2]

Career

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Orr worked as deputy editor for City Limits magazine, a workers' cooperative. Orr said later that they had "had no idea how to promote co-operative working".[6] Until 1990, Orr was a contributor to New Statesman.[1] In 1990, she began writing for The Guardian regularly.[3] From 1993 to 1998, Orr was editor of the Guardian Weekend magazine.[1] From 1998 until her death, Orr worked as a freelance journalist.[1] She was also a columnist for The Independent.[1]

In January 2018, her column for The Guardian ended when the newspaper relaunched in tabloid format.[7] In February 2018, she joined the i newspaper as a regular columnist.[8] In January 2020, Orr's memoir, Motherwell: A Girlhood, was published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson[9] and serialised on BBC Radio 4.[10]

Views

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Orr wrote, in 2017, "Homeless people are stuck in the streets once again. The services of food banks have never been more in demand. People with mental and physical illnesses or disabilities are dying for want of care, or even heat. The National Health Service has been plunged into a financial and staffing crisis, yet still has to soothe the dented ego of Richard Branson by making a payout to Virgin Care. The teaching profession is struggling once more with a rejigged exam system, and is bracing itself for a further squeeze on budgets. Our prison service is a series of riots waiting to happen."[11]

On 19 October 2011, an article by Orr stated that the trade for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners "tacitly acknowledges what so many Zionists believe: that the lives of the chosen are of hugely greater consequence than those of their unfortunate neighbours."[12] This statement, viewed by many as antisemitic, was the subject of criticism.[13] Orr apologised for words which she described as "badly chosen and poorly used".[14] Her apology, too, was the subject of criticism.[15][16][17]

Personal life

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In 1997, Orr married English author Will Self. They had two sons and lived in Stockwell;[18] they separated in 2017 and divorced in 2018.[19]

In 2010, she discovered she had breast cancer and was treated for it, which included a mastectomy.[20][21] In 2017, Orr wrote about her struggles with complex post-traumatic stress disorder.[22]

She died of breast cancer in October 2019, aged 57.[3]

Selected works and publications

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Monographs

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  • Orr, Deborah (2020). Motherwell: A Girlhood. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 978-1-474-61145-9. OCLC 1044867732. – January 2020

Plays

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  • Orr, Deborah (co-creator) (2012). Enquirer.[23][24]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Ms Deborah Orr's Biography". Debrett's People of Today. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  2. ^ a b c Brown, Maggie (21 October 2019). "Deborah Orr obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Brooks, Libby (20 October 2019). "Award-winning columnist Deborah Orr dies aged 57". The Guardian.
  4. ^ a b Orr, Deborah (14 June 2013). "A week ago, my mother died. The feeling of loss is unbearably intense". The Guardian.
  5. ^ Cowdrey, Katherine (28 June 2018). "'Unflinching' Deborah Orr memoir to W&N". The Bookseller.
  6. ^ Orr, Deborah (30 March 2012). "Listening is fantastically powerful and soothing – we need more of it". The Guardian.
  7. ^ Wilby, Peter (18 January 2018). "Black and white and not red all over: the incredible shrinking Guardian". New Statesman.
  8. ^ Brooks, Libby (21 October 2019). "Award-winning columnist Deborah Orr dies aged 57". The Irish Times.
  9. ^ Orr, Deborah (2020). Motherwell: A Girlhood. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 978-1-474-61145-9. OCLC 1044867732.
  10. ^ "Motherwell". BBC Radio 4 – via bbc.co.uk.
  11. ^ Orr, Deborah (1 December 2017). "The Damian Green fiasco exposes Theresa May as a trapped and wounded leader". The Guardian.
  12. ^ Orr, Deborah (19 October 2011). "Is an Israeli life really more important than a Palestinian's?". The Guardian.
  13. ^ "Diaspora - Jewish diaspora". The Jerusalem Post.
  14. ^ Orr, Deborah (26 October 2011). "Why it's right to weigh your words carefully". The Guardian.
  15. ^ Levick, Adam (10 November 2011). "They just don't get it - tolerance of Jew-hate set to live on". The Jewish Chronicle.
  16. ^ Lipman, Jennifer (10 November 2011). "Guardian: 'reputation tarnished'". The Jewish Chronicle.
  17. ^ Elliott, Chris (6 November 2011). "The readers' editor on… averting accusations of antisemitism". The Guardian.
  18. ^ Donaldson, Brian (15 July 2010). "Will Self at the Edinburgh International Book Festival". Edinburgh International Book Festival.
  19. ^ Appleyard, Bryan (21 May 2017). "Calling the modern world to account". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 25 February 2020. (subscription required)
  20. ^ Orr, Deborah (2 September 2010). "My breast cancer journey is more of a staycation". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  21. ^ Orr, Deborah (19 October 2012). "For a moment I really thought my husband had won the Booker. But no!". The Guardian. He was already deeply involved in it when I was diagnosed with breast cancer.
  22. ^ Orr, Deborah (4 January 2017). "Carrie Fisher showed the way. I want to acknowledge my own mental struggles". The Guardian.
  23. ^ "Enquirer (26/04/2012-04/11/2012)". National Theatre Scotland. 2012.[permanent dead link‍]
  24. ^ McLean, Pauline (30 April 2012). "National Enquirer". BBC.
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