Former Faber and Faber boss, dies aged 74

Matthew Evans, Former Faber and Faber boss, also known as one of the most important figures in British publishing has died aged 74.

The man who led Faber and Faber for several decades died peacefully on Wednesday morning after a long illness, Guardian UK reported.

As chairman of Faber & Faber he presided over a golden period of writing which defined British and Irish literature as a major force in the world.

It was a time when Kazuo Ishiguro, Ted Hughes, P D James, Seamus Heaney and Samuel Beckett were Faber authors, all of whom found him enabling, idiosyncratic and  charming, a man who eased their professional lives and enhanced their personal ones too.

He also crucially hired Faber’s greatest editorial director, Robert McCrum, a magnet for talent. Telegraph UK reported.

His wife, the literary agent Caroline Michel described him as “a glorious man and the love of my life,”

Stephen Page, Faber and Faber’s current chief executive, said the company was saddened by the news. “He was one of the most singular and important publishing leaders of his generation. Passionate, energetic and articulate, his contribution to Faber is incalculable."

Evans became Faber’s chairman and managing director in 1980.

He also held a number of public appointments including vice-chairman of the British Film Institute, and was the first chairman of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council created by the then culture secretary Chris Smith in 2000.

Evans served as a Labour government whip in the House of Lords from 2002-07, and in 2010 Labour made Evans a spokesman for the arts. Guardian UK added.

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