Taki Theodoracopulos
| Taki Theodoracopulos | |
|---|---|
| Born | Panagiotis Theodoracopulos August 11, 1936 Greece |
| Education | Lawrenceville |
| Occupation | Journalist, publisher, writer |
Taki Theodoracopulos (Greek: Τάκης Θεοδωρακόπουλος; born August 11, 1936),[1] originally named Panagiotis Theodoracopulos and best known as Taki, is a Greek-born journalist and writer living in New York City, London and Gstaad, Switzerland.[2]
Life
His column "High Life" has appeared in The Spectator since 1977, and he has also written for other US and UK publications. In 1984, Taki served three months in Pentonville Prison for the possession of cocaine.[3] He documented his prison experiences in Nothing to Declare: Prison Memoirs (1991).
In 2002, Taki founded The American Conservative magazine with Pat Buchanan and Scott McConnell. He was also the publisher of the British magazine Right Now![citation needed] He currently publishes and writes for Taki's Magazine, described as a libertarian webzine of "politics and culture."
Taki appeared in the 2013 James Toback film Seduced and Abandoned as himself.[4][5]
Taki has an interest in Oriental martial arts, holds a black belt in karate[6] and owned a yacht named Bushido (after the code of honour of Japanese Samurai warriors). The yacht was put up for sale in 2012.[7]
Controversies
In 2004, The Guardian accused Taki of using ethnic slurs, in an article criticizing London mayor Boris Johnson for employing him.[8] While Scotland Yard investigated Taki for some of his alleged racial comments, no charges were made.[9]
Fraser Nelson, editor of the Spectator, publicly endorsed Taki when taking up his post in September 2009: "Ah, Taki! For decades it has been traditional for a new Spectator editor to be inundated with calls to show his commitment to civility by hiring a new High Life columnist. But this time, not a soul has asked for him to be sacked. All I hear is how the old rogue has never been in better form. This won't please him much, as he prides himself on calls for his resignation. But it's not that Taki is conforming to the world. The world, I think, is finally conforming to him."[10]
In July 2013, Nelson defended[11] a column written by Taki headlined "A fascist takeover of Greece? We should be so lucky" in which he justified membership of the Golden Dawn organisation,[12] a "Greek far-right party" according to Press Gazette,[11] as reaction to the corruption of the political elite of Greece.
Bibliography
Books
- Taki Theodoracopulos, "The Greek Upheaval." New Rochelle: Caratzas, 1978.
- Taki and Jeffrey Bernard, High Life, Low Life, introduction by Richard West, edited by Cosmo Landesman. London: Jay Landseman, 1981. ISBN 0-905150-27-9
- Taki, Princes, Playboys & High-Class Tarts, foreword by Tom Wolfe, illustrations by Blair Drawson. Princeton: Karz-Cohl Publishers, 1984. ISBN 0-943828-61-9
- Taki, High Life, selected by Andrew Cameron, illustrated by Michael Heath. London: Viking, 1989. ISBN 0-670-82956-0
- Taki, Nothing to Declare: Prison Memoirs, London: Viking, 1991. ISBN 0-670-83276-6
- Glass, Charles (ed.), Taki: The Spectator Columns, 2001–2009, London, Quartet, 2010. ISBN 978-0-7043-7192-7
References
- ↑ Spectator.co.uk
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- ↑ Ciar Byrne "The Indestructible Journos", The Independent, June 12, 2006
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External links
- Use mdy dates from December 2014
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- Articles containing Greek-language text
- Articles with unsourced statements from October 2012
- 1936 births
- Greek expatriates in Switzerland
- Greek expatriates in the United Kingdom
- Greek expatriates in the United States
- Greek journalists
- Greek nobility
- Greek socialites
- Living people
- New York Press people
- Alumni of Institut Le Rosey
- People from Gstaad
