At the Destinations travel show in Earls Court today, The Bookworm and I saw BBC world affairs editor John Simpson talk about his experiences from 44 years at The Beeb, from being punched in the stomach by Prime Minister Harold Wilson to coming under fire in war zones and the way the independence of the BBC is under threat whichever government is in place after the next election.
He was candid and funny and fascinating and when it was finished we wandered around the stands some more, ending up at a book shop area where we looked up from the piles of great travel writing to see him quietly signing his books for a small queue of people in the corner. We quickly joined on the end, getting personalised signed copies of News From No Man’s Land. I can’t wait to start reading it when I finish Reading L0lita* in Tehran by Azar Nafisi, about which all I can say is, if I read something better this year I’m in for a real treat.
*how funny, that word is apparently blocked by my web host
Tags: travel
