We’re delighted to have quizzed Michael Delgado, Editorial & Marketing Assistant at Literary Review, in this week’s interview. 

Founded in Edinburgh in 1979, Literary Review is Britain’s best-loved literary monthly, full of witty, informative and authoritative reviews. Covering everything from history, biography and politics to literature, art and travel, some of the best writers and thinkers of the day count themselves amongst the magazine’s contributors.

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So on with the show! Take it away, Michael:

1) What’s your role within the Literary Review?

I’m the Editorial and Marketing Assistant. Most of my time is spent doing editorial tasks, such as editing articles and calling in review copies, but I’m also partly responsible for updating our social media channels and website.

2) What attracted you to the magazine publishing industry?

I’ve always loved reading magazines. When I was a kid I subscribed to Match and the Lego Magazine, then the NME when I was in my teens, and now I read magazines like the New Statesman and New York magazine. When I was about fifteen I realised that I wanted to work with words in some way, and Literary Review combines that interest with my love of books.

3) If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Japanese food. Sushi, ramen, tempura, miso aubergine — I’m obsessed with all of it.

4) If you weren’t working in publishing, what would you be doing?

When I was younger I said I wanted to be a chef. So maybe I’d do that, although I don’t know if I could cope with the long working hours.

5) Do you have an all-time favourite Literary Review issue?

I really liked our April issue this year — it has a striking cover and some excellent articles, including a really funny one by Alan Hollinghurst. I’ve also stumbled on some great issues from the 1980s, back when we used to publish interviews with writers. There are fascinating ones with Iris Murdoch and Clive James, from the April 1983 and January 1987 issues respectively.

April 2019 Issue Featuring Alan Hollinghurst

6) If you could live in any city, where would it be?

I love London in so many ways and can’t really imagine leaving it. But I definitely wouldn’t mind living in Berlin — I’d just have to learn German first!

7) What do you think will have changed in the publishing industry in 5 years?

For a while now people have been predicting the death of print media, and yet there are so many great magazines that are flourishing nowadays. I think there’s still a real appetite for quality print journalism, but publications need to think smartly about how to entice readers when so much of the information we consume is online. In order to survive, magazines will have to reach out to young people, so I think we’ll see publications becoming more environmentally conscious and commissioning an even more diverse pool of writers.

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Thanks for your insight Michael — and we agree on the Japanese food front!

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