Photo: Olaf Kosinsky / CC BY-SA 3.0 de (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Born on July 12, 1955 in London, United Kingdom, Timothy Garton Ash is a historian, writer and essayist. As of 2026, Timothy Garton Ash is 71 years old. Education on record includes Exeter College. Awards on record include Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, Charlemagne Medal for European Media (2013), Somerset Maugham Award (1984) and 5 more. Credited works include The Uses of Adversity: Essays on the Fate of Central Europe and The Magic Lantern: The Revolution of ’89 Witnessed in Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin, and Prague.
My Take
What draws me to Timothy Garton Ash is that he never let academic prestige dull his nose for the real thing. He was physically present in Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin and Prague as 1989 unfolded, and turned that into prose that reads like both reportage and history. I admire writers who refuse to choose between the archive and the street, and he is the rare one who masters both. An Oxford emeritus and Hoover fellow who still trusts his own eyes, with a Somerset Maugham Award and an Orwell Prize to show for it. When I want to understand modern Europe, his is the voice I reach for first.
This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Timothy Garton Ash
- Name (Japanese)
- ティモシー・ガートン・アッシュ
- Reading
- てぃもしー・がーとん・あっしゅ
- Born
- July 12, 1955 (age 71)
- Origin
- London, United Kingdom
- Occupation
- journalist / historian / writer / essayist / opinion journalist
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Cancer / Goat
2. Background
- University
- Exeter College
Awards & achievements
- Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
- 2013 Charlemagne Medal for European Media
- 1984 Somerset Maugham Award
- 1989 Prix Européen de l'Essai Charles Veillon
- 2002 Hoffmann von Fallersleben Prize
- 2006 Orwell Prize
- 2011 honorary doctor of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
- Member of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland
3. Works & records
Filmography / notable works
| Category | Title |
|---|---|
| Notable work | The Uses of Adversity: Essays on the Fate of Central Europe |
| Notable work | The Magic Lantern: The Revolution of ’89 Witnessed in Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin, and Prague |
4. Links
- Official sitehttps://timothygartonash.com
- Xhttps://x.com/fromTGA
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy%20Garton%20Ash
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%86%E3%82%A3%E3%83%A2%E3%82%B7%E3%83%BC%E3%83%BB%E3%82%AC%E3%83%BC%E3%83%88%E3%83%B3%E3%83%BB%E3%82%A2%E3%83%83%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A5
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q311729
5. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Timothy Garton Ash born?
Born July 12, 1955 (age 71).
Where is Timothy Garton Ash from?
Timothy Garton Ash is from London, United Kingdom.
What does Timothy Garton Ash do?
Timothy Garton Ash works as journalist, historian, writer, essayist, opinion journalist.
What is Timothy Garton Ash known for?
Notable works include The Uses of Adversity: Essays on the Fate of Central Europe, The Magic Lantern: The Revolution of ’89 Witnessed in Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin, and Prague.
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