Jan Morris : A Life by Sara Wheeler

Jan Morris : A Life by Sara Wheeler'Breathtakingly good.' Michael Palin 'Wonderful.' Paul Theroux 'Brilliant.' Simon Jenkins 'Superb.' Colin Thubron A captivating authorised biography of the legendary writer Jan Morris. She was the twentieth century. Who wouldn't want to write her biography? When Jan Morris joined the 1953 Everest expedition and was first to get news of the ascent back to London, she became the most famous journalist in the world. So began a glittering career covering

'Breathtakingly good.' Michael Palin

'Wonderful.' Paul Theroux

'Brilliant.' Simon Jenkins

'Superb.' Colin Thubron

A captivating authorised biography of the legendary writer Jan Morris. She was the twentieth century. Who wouldn't want to write her biography?

When Jan Morris joined the 1953 Everest expedition and was first to get news of the ascent back to London, she became the most famous journalist in the world.

So began a glittering career covering the Eichmann trial, interviewing Che Guevara and scooping the story of Suez collusion. Morris transitioned in the early seventies and documented the experience in Conundrum. She was a pioneer and her books, including Venice and the Pax Britannica trilogy, have inspired readers across the globe.

Here, renowned travel writer and biographer Sara Wheeler uncovers the complexity of this twentieth-century icon to reveal a mosaic of contradictions. Morris's work conjured the spirit of place, yet her late masterpiece Trieste celebrates 'the meaning of nowhere'; she was a Welsh nationalist who wasn't Welsh; a preacher of kindness with a cruel side. This is a portrait of an astonishing life, and a scintillating story of longing, travel and never reaching home.

Format:Hardback 432 pages
Publisher:Faber & Faber
Imprint:Faber & Faber
Edition:Main
ISBN:9780571379453
Published:9 Apr 2026
Classifications:Biography: literary, Travel writing
Weight:692g
Dimensions:242 x 164 x 41 (mm)