A variegated and delightful collection of magazine writer Jon Bradshaw's
essential writings, The Ocean Is Closed rediscovers a memorable talent
and offers us an entrancing view of mid-century culture beyond the
shadow of the literary canon. With droll wit and keen intelligence,
Bradshaw's cinematic prose brings the '70s to vibrant life.
Jon Bradshaw, a man of tremendous personal charm, good humor and rugged
beauty, was a literary concoction of his own devising: the magazine
writer as world-weary traveler and man about town. Adored by British
royalty, magazine editors, movie executives, and professional
mercenaries alike, Bradshaw first made a splash in London during the
Swinging Sixties. Pals with the likes of Anna Wintour, Timothy Leary,
Gore Vidal, and Martin Amis, his career flourished at a time when
magazines were at the center of the cultural conversation, delivering
stories that were talked about for weeks. For twenty years, he cut a
distinctive figure in this world, before his untimely death. A forgotten
master of longform magazine writing, Bradshaw is ripe for rediscovery as
one of the sharpest chroniclers of his age.