Confessions from Correspondentland: The Dangers and Delights of Life as a Foreign Correspondent

by Nick Bryant

BBC foreign correspondent Nick Bryant casts a scathingly honest eye on his hugely influential profession, from the heart of Washington, Afghanistan, Northern Ireland, Pakistan, India, and Australia - revealing the fascinating and sometimes shocking behaviour of media hounds desperate for a scoop.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir

424 pages, Paperback

First published August 31, 2011

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author with this name on GR

Reviews

[Kevin Klehr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating read from a BBC foreign correspondent, who has a lot to say about recent history, from a first hand perspective.

Nick Bryant gives us a personal view of several US politicians (including Clinton and Bush), 9/11 and its aftermath (from several world locations), the widespread grieving for Princess Diana, and a summary of Australia's character.

There's some refreshing reading as he paints images of exotic (and sometimes dangerous) locations, and the major players who grace our news bulletins. With these first hand accounts mixed with the day to day life of a journalist, this is an easy read that delights with its insight.

It is also a book of self-contained chapters, so the topics sit within their chosen sections.

Nick's views on the modern 24 hour news channel is also worth noting, seeing he began his career when the evening bulletin was all there was. I won't share these with you as they come at the end of the book, but his thoughts make you re-examine the dumbing down of the media.

[Chris Steeden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is rather excellent and it came as a surprise. Maybe it was because of the title or the comic cover of the book or the cheap price on Amazon but i was not expecting it to be such a serious and well written modern history of events and conflicts. I loved it.

Nick Bryant, from Bristol, starts the book two years after 9/11 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan and the Taliban are still active. The narrative then goes back to explaining how he became a journalist working for the London Evening Standard, Daily Mail and onto the BBC where his first foreign assignment was to Jerusalem. The Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, has been assassinated. The date is 04-NOV-1995. Rabin had attended a peace rally in front of the City Hall in Tel Aviv. As he walked off stage he spoke to a radio reporter and the assassin shot him 4 times. The assassin was 25 year old student and former Israeli soldier, Yigal Amir, and he claimed to be acting on God's orders.

That's a way to start your first foreign assignment. Here is a very brief synopsis of his assignments:

Back home was the death of Princess Diana, 31-AUG-1997 and then a more dangerous assignment to Northern Ireland where it was the marching season and the Good Friday Agreement 10-APR-1998.

Bryant recites his time out in Washington and this is very interesting. There was Bill Clinton and the White House intern, Monica Samille Lewinsky. George W. Bush inauguration Day on 21-JAN-2001. The issue where the Democrat, Al Gore, looked to have won the election but due to the perplexing ballot papers down in Florida there were recounts.. Bush got in and then nice months into his first-term 9/11 happened and then Guantanamo opened. His State of the Union Address in 2002 was when his now famous Axis of Evil line was given. North Korea, Iran and Iraq. Iraq War and then the Washington sniper. Afghanistan and the 2004 election where Hamid Karzi.

Pakistan 1997 General Election where Imran Khan and Benazir Bhutto did not win. The winner was Navaz Sharif of the Pakistan Musiim League. General Pervez Musharraf was ousted from his army job so he seized control of the government through a military coup. Terrible earthquake on 08-OCT-2005 in Pakistani Kashmir.

India was transformed from a near Socialist economy to a fully-fledged capitalist one. In the 2004 elections the ruling BJP party led by Atal Vajpayee lost to the UPA led by Sonia Gandhi but she then said an inner voice had spoken and told her she should not become Prime Minister so Dr Manmohan Singh, her confidant and counsellor, became India's first Sikh Prime Minister. He stayed for 10 years and was replaced in 2014 by Narendra Modi.

Srinagar is the largest city in the Kashmir Valley. Bryant was there in April 2005 to cover the opening of a historic new bus service linking Indian administered Kashmir to Pakistan administered Kashmir. Before the bus left militants were attacking the Indian Army and Bryant and his crew ended-up in the middle of it.

Nepal - Maoists against King Gyanendra

Sri Lanka literally means 'Blessed Land'. The British brought the Tamils from India to Sri Lanka to work on the coffee and tea plantations. Sri Lanka got independence in 1948. The Buddhist-Sinhala majority was determined to assert its dominance. They made the Tamils second class citizens. In the early 1980s it became a full-blown civil war. A 26 year conflict claiming between 80 to 100,000 lives including the Tamils assassinating the Sri Lankan President, Ranasinghe Premadasa in 1993 and the former Indian Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. In 2002 there was a ceasefire agreement. This granted the Tamils a measure of self-rule over land in the north. That truce did fall into disrepute. There was the Boxing Day 2004 tsunami.

Maldives got independence from Britain in the mid-60's. 80% of the Maldives islands and atolls are no more than a metre above sea level. Within 100 years most of the Maldives was set to become uninhabitable and plans are already in place to evacuate the 360,000 population.

Nick marries Fleur Wood and they have a baby and move to her native Australia. 04-SEP-2006 Steve Irwin 'The Crocodile Hunter' is pierced in the chest by a stingray while filming 'Oceans Deadliest'.

Nick concludes with the Obama election win in 2008, the Hamas win in 2006 and the Arab Spring, the London bombings on 07-JUL-2005 killing 52 people and finally the killing of Osama bin Laden on 02-MAY-2011.

[Calli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, really interesting. The author is engaging, has some great stories, and has interesting perspective on a lot of significant events. He is honest about the good and bad points of the profession and brings a great, wry sense of humor.

My only criticism is an occasional sense of tone-deafness. The most glaring example I can think of is his chapter on India. He talks about how many correspondents end up marrying women from India and jokes about how he was looking for a spouse there (really awkward considering Britain's imperialist history and all the connotations that go with a British guy swinging through India to find a nice, pretty bride, but whatever)then shifts to talking about the absolutely horrifying sex trade prevalent in India. He spends pages talking about the bleak, horrible lives these girls live and then immediately switches back to talking about his search for a wife in India. The switch is very abrupt and grating and maybe he purposefully set up the harsh distinction, but that juxtaposition doesn't make him look great.

I really enjoyed the book despite a couple of issues I had with tone and transitions.

[David Medcalf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, to my surprise - I expected it to be just 'interesting'. Not being much of a TV watcher I had never heard of the author and was simply curious about the life of a foreign correspondent. However, the book is much more than that and gives a well written insight into some of the key events and periods across the world in recent times. Mr Bryant is a good writer and a good journalist.

[Steve Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book received through Goodreads.

This book written by BBC correspondent Nick Bryant is entertaining from start to finish. Funny, witty, provocative and informative, Bryant writes with a style that is always entertaining. I turned pages more quickly than with most thrillers I have read. The author briefly covers a broad range of topics and events including natural disasters, civil unrest, prostitution and elections in a rapid fire manner.

Really enjoyed.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read. Nick Bryant has a great insight into his postings.

[Jennifer Ogden · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not finish. Attempted 3 chapters but couldn't finish them, somewhat interesting but not enough for me to finish the chapters, let alone the book.

[Jess Abbey · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Adventures in Correspondentland' is a thoroughly interesting read, that provides a unique insight into several highly consequential world events, through the eyes of seasoned BBC Foreign Correspondent, Nick Bryant. Bryant allows you to travel to various continents and countries, where he recapitulates events such as the assassination of the Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995, Bill Clinton and the Blue Dress Saga, 9/11, Bush's War on Terror and the Boxing Day Tsunami. Bryant allows the reader to see how the sausage is made, so to speak; he provides fascinating first hand accounts and tidbits from the ground that were experienced whilst pursuing news stories.

Weaved throughout the narrative is an explication of the various challenges faced by journalists, in regards to personal safety, career advancement, reporting on disasters, and ensuring one does not become part of the story. He also proffers his personal analysis/ opinion of the events and the cast of characters involved.

Some parts of the book were a little prosaic or a bit partial for my liking (especially the last chapter). However, for the most part, I found it to be very well written and full of colour and humour. It is a nice and easy read - definitely recommended as a primer for anyone who's considering a career in journalism, or for anyone who's interested in the field/ world events.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this coverage of the major events of the past two decades, some of which I didn't understand or even know about previously. It is always interesting to read things from a different perspective to your own, which Bryant offers beautifully. I especially loved the coverage of India and Pakistan, as well as the in-depth look at the Clinton and Bush White Houses. However, I did pick up this book in the hope of seeing my own country of Australia from the perspective of an outsider to relate it to my own. I'm still unsure about how I feel about the comparison, but it has certainly given me much to think about in my own consumption of news and the dangers foreign correspondents undergo to bring a snippet of news to the attention of the world.

[Sarah-Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book through Goodreads.

I enjoy stories of journalist who run to the front line to deliver the news to the world. This made me assume that I would adore this book. I am sad to report that I did not make it past page 100. I tried to pick it up a few more times after the first false start but, I can’t do it. Unfortunately I can’t narrow down exactly what is causing the issue.

What will strike you when you read the first few pages is the amount of time and effort he writer has put into crafting this book, thank you for that.

[Bharat · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the few I can say I 'devoured' -prosaically. A lovely book -part memoir, part biography. Lets you into the life of a reporter. Also gives you a reporter's version of events as it happened across the world. Truly revealing and stirring.

[Sebastian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good analysis of the post 9/11 decade from a journalist who was at many of its key places, from Washington to New York to Kabul and Hyderabad. Typically clear style from professional UK journo, and one who is able to pick a path through the shibboleths of the time and make some sense of it.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant. Tricky to keep up with at times but so interesting

[Bexy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it. Easy to read and gives a fab insight into many of the world events you remember and should revisit.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

j'ai vraiment aimé; intéressant et agréable à lire

[Prasanth Abraham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative, Witty and awesome fun!