Pierre Loti by Lesley Blanch

Lesley Blanch (1904-2007), a academic romantic, influenced and inspired generations of writers, readers, and critics. During World War Two, she was a well-known writer, artist, theatrical critic, and features editor for British Vogue. Blanch was ahead of her time with foresighted in her attempts to unite the West and the East, particularly the West and Islam. 'General de Gaulle wrote me a nice letter about The Sabres of Paradise, and I've heard that he remarked it was unusual that a woman should be able to understand the wars so well and write them so vividly,' she said in an interview with Shusha Guppy. Virago released her memoir On the Wider Shores of Love: A Bohemian Life. Visit Lesley's website at www.lesleyblanch.com to learn more about her.