Neal Ascherson

He was born in Edinburgh and educated at Eton and King's College, Cambridge, where he read history. He was described by the historian, Eric Hobsbawm, as "perhaps the most brilliant student I ever had. I didn't really teach him much, I just let him get on with it."

After graduating with a triple starred First, he declined offers to pursue an academic career. Instead, he chose a career in journalism, first at the Manchester Guardian and then at The Scotsman (1959-1960), The Observer (1960-1990) and the Independent on Sunday (1990-1998). He contributed scripts for the 1974 documentary series World at War and the 1998 series The Cold War. In recent years, he has also been a regular contributor to the London Review of Books.

He has lectured and written extensively about Polish and Eastern Europe affairs.

Neal Ascherson is married to fellow journalist, Isabel Hilton. They currently live in London with their two children, Iona and Alexander.

Bibliography

(1981). The Polish August : the self-limiting revolution. ISBN 0-670-56305-6.

(1982). The Book of Lech Wałęsa. ISBN 0-671-45684-9.

(1983) The Spanish Civil War (Granada Television serial script)

(1984). The Nazi Legacy. ISBN 0-03-069303-9. with Magnus Linklater and Isabel Hilton

(1987). The Struggles For Poland. ISBN 0-7181-2812-5.

(1988). Games With Shadows. ISBN 0-09-173019-8.

(1995). The Black Sea. ISBN 0-8090-3043-8.

(2002). Stone Voices: the search for Scotland. ISBN 0-8090-8491-0.