George Weidenfeld, Lord Weidenfeld, who has died aged 96, belonged to that remarkable group of Jewish refugees who transformed postwar British publishing into an exciting, dynamic industry. He was pre-eminent among his fellow publishers, both in the range of his interests and activism, and in his capacity for international networking, building bridges across Europe and beyond. Most recently he launched the Weidenfeld Safe Havens Fund to help rescue embattled Christians from Syria.
His exceptionally large circle of friends and acquaintances extended from politics to the arts, academia and business. Mention the name George to any of the hundreds of people listed in his autobiography, and almost always they would recognise it as a reference to the portly, inventive and always compelling Weidenfeld. But his quest for recognition and standing among the elites was never an end in itself. It was also a tool for identifying authors and book themes – and in the latter stages of his life, his many friends enabled him to bring together a wide range of influential personalities to address major issues confronting western society in the 21st century.
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