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. Before that I was lucky enough to live in Paris on the threshold of womanhood, in the spring, on my own, and of course that stays with you forever. We ate well and cheaply and I learnt to love wine and got engaged. At Edinburgh I got a First class MA Honours and the Janet Christie Bequest to study abroad. So we drove to Florence and lived in an old farmhouse for 8 months, learning Italian, studying at the British Institute.
In the slipstream of your life you imagine you’ll be a great writer, another Virginia Woolf, have the perfect family, be the best mother. So many impossible aims. I ended up being a journalist. A mother to one daughter. A lover. As a journalist I did quite a lot of good in the beginning. Campaigning stories, saving a horribly mistreated lioness in Italy, seals in the Hebrides, premature babies at Dulwich hospital in need of incubators, endangered leatherback turtles in Tobago. I have done a lot of travel articles, restaurant and hotel reviews, and many years of exciting seat-of-the pants Showbiz stories, travelling with Freddie Mercury, Rod Steward, Spandau Ballet, interviewing Angelina Jolie, Leonardo di Caprio, Bono, Jude Law. Now I’m writing a novel set in Venice and its working title is Behind the Mirror. With a novel, which takes years to write, you’re not the same person at the end of the book as you were at the beginning. The story has changed, the characters are deeper, but you have changed with them. You fall in love with all of them. I’m nearly ready to say goodbye to them and let them stand on their own.
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
Writer-at-large SHARON FEINSTEIN spent an intense night cooking in the kitchen of Do Forni restaurant in Venice. If nothing else, being a chef is an exercise in lifelong sleep deprivation. Every table is full at Do Forni. It’s one of the best restaurants in Venice, the city of magic. The list of famous people who … Continued
