Jan Morris

A marvel of clarity, fluency, and (Morriss favourite word in her final days) kindness. The Sunday Times A measured and elegant biography that Morris aficionados will find fascinating. The Times The first full account of a truly remarkable life. When Jan Morris passed away in 2020, she was considered one of Britains best-loved writers. The author of Venice, Pax Britannica, Conundrum, and more than fifty other books, her work was known for its observational genius, lyricism, and humour, and had earned her a passionate readership around the world. Morriss life was no less fascinating than her oeuvre. Born in 1926, she spent her childhood amidst Oxfords Gothic beauty and later participated in military service in Italy and the Middle East, before embarking on a career as an internationally fted foreign correspondent. From being the only journalist to join the first ascent of Mount Everest in 1953 to covering the trial of Adolf Eichmann, Morriss reportage spanned many of the twentieth centurys defining moments. However, public success masked a private dilemma that was only resolved when she transitioned genders in the 1960s, becoming renowned as a transgender pioneer. She went on to live happily with her wife, Elizabeth, in Wales for another five decades, and never stopped writing and publishing. Here, for the first time, the many strands of Morriss rich and at times paradoxical life are brought together. Based on a wealth of interviews, archival material, and hitherto unpublished documents, Jan Morris: life from both sides portrays a person of extraordinary talent, curiosity, and joie de vivre.