Morrissey's autobiography infuriates British newspapers, and they didn't even have to read it

I’ve spent too much time thinking about Morrissey’s autobiography, and I haven’t even read it, either! Beyond the man, however, beyond what he does and says, beyond how unpleasant or worthwhile it may or may not be, there is a wonderful place. It is the place where, just to wind up the right kind of people, Penguin books released this book directly to Penguin Classics. With that cover. Bravo!

Here’s Rebecca Rego Barry for The Awl:

The Brits have their knickers in a twist over the fact that Morrissey’s Autobiography was published today under the Penguin Classics imprint. Boyd Tonkin wrote in the Independent that the book would “wreck overnight the reputation of a global brand that, since 1946, has built up its worldwide trust on the basis of consistent excellence, expert selection and a commitment to pick and sell only the very best.” Brendan O’Neill, writing in the Telegraph, was angry that the musician’s memoir is “not a modern classic, but a classic classic,” suggesting that there is latitude in the term. The Mirror snapped that the publication “undermines every possible definition of the word ‘classic’.” The Guardian was irritated by the “dumbing down” of such a “high-minded enterprise” as Penguin Classics.