Book description
She has been shot at by Bosnian snipers, been pursued by Robert
Mugabe's notorious secret police, filed from the North Korean border,
propositioned by both Salvador Dali and David Niven and been driven
maniacally through London by Steve McQueen. But Ann Leslie's life is
every bit as remarkable as her career. A daughter of the Raj, she was
born in India and the strongest influence on her early life was an
illiterate Pashtun bearer, who saved her life during Partition. Her
mother, a great beauty, was indifferent to her eldest daughter and she
was sent to the first of a series of boarding-schools aged just four,
eventually winning a scholarship to Oxford. After graduating she began
her career at the Manchester office of the Daily Express, where the news
editor took an instant dislike to her - she was a southerner, educated
and - worst of all - female. Despite his best efforts she was soon given
her own column. Then, after a stint covering show business she was
appointed Foreign Correspondent of the Daily Mail, an association that
endures today, almost forty years later, and one which finally allowed
her real talent to shine through. Killing My Own Snakes is a witty,
incident-filled account of an extraordinary life, a fascinating
self-portrait of one the most influential journalists of our time.
Ann Leslie has been the doyenne of women reporters for more than
thirty years. In 2007 she was made a Dame of the British Empire for
her pioneering journalism and for forging the way for women in the
press world. She lives in London.
