Why write a biography? It only pins you down. Suffice to say I was born in Africa. And already that’s seeing the world without its skin. My father was the local gynaecologist. My mother was born in Strasbourg. My grandmother lived with us. In many ways I loved my childhood, but not in others. I would have been cheating myself if I hadn’t left to study English literature in Britain. That was my feat of daring that altered the landscape of my life. Before the term started, I went to Paris, like all would-be artists and authors. It was spring. I was full of day-dreams, imagining myself capable of extraordinary insights and creativity. It was a time when everything seemed possible. I could laugh at it now, but it propelled me to develop some of those qualities. In Paris, I fell in love and got engaged, but in the bleak, cold winter of my first term at Edinburgh, I broke it off. I got a First class MA Honours and the Janet Christie Bequest to study abroad. So, I drove to Florence with a friend and lived in an old farmhouse for 8 months, learning Italian, studying at the British Institute. In the slipstream of my life I imagined that I would be a great writer, another Virginia Woolf, have the perfect family, be the best mother. My path was a journalism, a single mother of one daughter. My writing included campaigns to save a brutalised lioness in northern Italy, Hebridean seals at risk, endangered and slaughtered leatherback turtles in Tobago, and premature babies at Dulwich hospital in dire need of incubators. I covered news, travel, and then big interviews with iconic figures in the public eye. Freddie Mercury, Angelina Jolie, Amy Winehouse, George Michael, Bono, and literally hundreds more. I walked away from journalism to live in Venice and write my first novel, Behind the Mirror. My second, All the People We Are, is set on the Cycladic island of Folegandros. The third, The Shed, is set in Berlin through WW2, and Southern Rhodesia in the 60’s. My literary agent is Jason Bartholomew of The Bks Agency.
GEORGE Clooney enjoys a night out with wife Amal and throws his art and soul into the occasion. The actor, 58, sketched a cat for staff at Da Ivo restaurant in Venice and signed it: “Another perfect night, thank you, Amal and George.” On an earlier visit, George inked a self-portrait and signed wine bottles … Continued
4 Venice restaurants that locals (and celebrities) frequent Venice is bewitching, with its canals, poetry, art and architecture. But, says Sharon Feinstein, there’s something extra to love about the city, and that is its pride and passion for food. I first went to Venice to write about food – it’s the way into the heart … Continued
At dawn, post Lowveld thunderstorm, we stood on the broad terrace of Rattray’s Camp facing the wide riverbed with its first pools of water, the sky the colour of purple pressed grapes. Our soft-spoken, knowledgable guide, Gordon, grabbed his shotgun and prepared the Land Rover with blankets and flasks of water. There are never more … Continued
Ristorante Da Ivo doesn’t only owe its fashionable reputation to its famous patrons but also to its charm as a traditional Venetian trattoria with great character and class. Owner Giovanni resembles a friendly bear and may hug you or crush your hand in an effort to make you feel undoubtedly welcome. Inside, you’ll notice paintings … Continued
EXCLUSIVE A STUNTMAN revealed how he has “become” superstar actor Rami Malek to double for him in the new James Bond movie. French-born Sebastien Soudais, 36, immersed himself in the high-octane film so much he “erased” his own personality. He practised Rami’s stance and body gestures everywhere he went – even in the bathroom – … Continued
Top cameraman reveals how new Bond movie includes fight scenes filmed under frozen lake He’s known for being ice cool under pressure. But James Bond is set to reveal hidden depths with underwater fight scenes filmed 16ft below the surface of a frozen lake. Actor Daniel Craig – on his last appearance as the suave superspy – … Continued
A SOLO musician since he left the group Bluesology more than five decades ago, is Sir Elton John planning to start his own band again? For I can reveal that he has taken to calling his family ‘the Johnettes’, in the manner of a Sixties pop combo. Sir Elton took his husband, the film-maker David … Continued
Out in the wilds of the African bush, Sharon Feinstein takes a walk among the animals on the ‘trip of a lifetime’ Thunder crashed through the bush all night, like the beat of African drums, while rain pounded rhyth- mically on the tin roof of our apartment. At dawn we stood on the broad terrace of … Continued
