A. A. Gill
A critic whose savagely witty and surgically precise prose could dismantle a restaurant, a television show, or a social hypocrisy with equal, bracing force.
1954–2016 (age 62)·British writer and critic·Birthday: June 28·Baby Boomers
Biography
Adrian Gill, known by his byline A. A. Gill, was a writer who wielded his pen like a scalpel, dissecting the worlds of food, travel, and culture for British publications with unmatched verve and vinegar. A Scot who overcame dyslexia to develop a fiercely distinctive style, he wrote primarily for The Sunday Times, where his reviews were events—feared by restaurateurs, anticipated by readers. He was never merely a reviewer; a restaurant critique could veer into a meditation on class, a travel piece on Africa might confront colonial guilt. His prose was lush, cruel, funny, and profoundly moral, often all at once. Beyond his columns, he was a formidable feature writer and television presenter, bringing the same unsparing intelligence to documentaries. Gill's influence reshaped British journalism, proving that criticism could be deeply personal, wildly entertaining, and intellectually serious, all while refusing to bore the reader for a single sentence.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
A. was born in 1954, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When A. Was Born
The biggest hits of 1954
#1 Movie
White Christmas
Best Picture
On the Waterfront
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
A.'s Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1954Born
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1959Started school
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1967Became a teenager
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1970Could drive
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1972Could vote
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1975Turned 21
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1984Turned 30
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1994Turned 40
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2004Turned 50
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 60
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2016Died at 62
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
Key Achievements
- Was the lead restaurant critic and a feature writer for The Sunday Times for over two decades, defining the modern British critique.
- Authored several books, including 'The Angry Island,' a critical and personal examination of English identity.
- Won multiple awards for his journalism, including Restaurant Writer of the Year and Critic of the Year.
Did You Know?
He initially studied at the Central Saint Martins art school and worked as an artist and illustrator before turning to writing.
He was a vocal advocate for hunting and countryside issues, which often put him at odds with urban readers.
He once described a dish as 'what it would be like if a tractor had an abortion.'
“We are all the sum of our scars and our souvenirs.”
