Penguin Books is a British publishing company that was founded in 1935 by Allen Lane. Throughout its history, Penguin has been shaped and influenced by a number of social and political movements, which have had a significant impact on the publisher's history.
One of the earliest and most influential of these movements was the rise of the welfare state in the United Kingdom in the mid-twentieth century. Penguin was one of the first publishers to take advantage of the new opportunities provided by the welfare state, by making literature available to a wider audience through affordable, mass-market paperbacks.
The 1960s and 1970s were a time of significant social and political change, and Penguin was at the forefront of many of these changes. The publisher was heavily involved in the civil rights movement and the feminist movement, and published a number of influential works by writers associated with these movements. This included works by leading feminist writers such as Simone de Beauvoir, Betty Friedan, and Germaine Greer, as well as important works of fiction by female authors such as Doris Lessing and Margaret Atwood.
In recent years, Penguin has continued to engage with social and political movements and issues, such as climate change, immigration, and LGBTQ+ rights. Penguin has also published work by authors from underrepresented groups, such as women of color and LGBTQ+ authors, and made a commitment to achieving gender parity in its author roster by 2025.
In conclusion, Penguin's history has been shaped by a number of social and political movements, which have had a significant impact on the publisher's history. Penguin has been an important voice in many of these movements and continues to be a platform for voices that reflect the social and political issues of the day.
Comentários