Lesley Blanch

A scholarly romantic, Lesley Blanch (1904-2007) influenced and inspired generations of writers, readers and critics. She was a distinguished writer, artist, drama critic and features editor of British Vogue during World War II. Blanch was well ahead of her time and prescient in the way she attempted to bridge West and East - especially the West and Islam. In an interview with Shusha Guppy, she revealed that 'General de Gaulle wrote me a lovely letter about The Sabres of Paradise, and I have...See more

A scholarly romantic, Lesley Blanch (1904-2007) influenced and inspired generations of writers, readers and critics. She was a distinguished writer, artist, drama critic and features editor of British Vogue during World War II. Blanch was well ahead of her time and prescient in the way she attempted to bridge West and East - especially the West and Islam. In an interview with Shusha Guppy, she revealed that 'General de Gaulle wrote me a lovely letter about The Sabres of Paradise, and I have heard that he said it was remarkable that a woman should be able to understand the battles so well and describe them so vividly.' The author of twelve books, including The Wilder Shores of Love, Journey into the Mind's Eye, Pierre Loti and one novel, The Nine Tiger Man, she died in 2007. Her memoirs On the Wilder Shores of Love: A Bohemian Life are published by Virago. To learn more about Lesley, visit her website at ... See less