Jonathan studied an MPhil in Medieval and Renaissance Literature and a PhD on 17th century Closet Drama. He went on to be Deputy Literary Editor for The Observer then moved to the Fabian Society as Editorial Director where he published numerous political books and oversaw the editing of the Fabian Review. He then worked as Director of the literature and free speech organisation English PEN where he championed reform of the English libel laws. His passion for Orwell led him to write introduction to Orwell: The Observer Years.