Martyn Goff

Martyn Goff, CBE was a British literary administrator, author, and bookseller. He made a significant contribution to the organisation and popularity of the Booker Prize for many years, and was involved in efforts to increase literacy and book ownership, particularly among children.

Background

Born in 1923, he grew up in Hampstead, London. His father, Jacob Gulkov, was a Russian fur dealer who had emigrated to Britain and became a supplier to department stores. After studying at Clifton College in Bristol, he won a place at Oxford University to study English. Goff was demobilised in 1946.

Personal life and honours

Goff is said to have acquired, and relished, a reputation as a dandy. His partner, Rubio Tapani Lindroos, a Finnish poet who moved to London in 1970, died in 2014.
Goff was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1977 and promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2005. In 2003, Oxford Brookes University awarded him an honorary doctorate.