Strange Places, Questionable People: Updated With a New Chapter on Kosovo

by John Cody Fidler-Simpson

For over thirty years, John Simpson has travelled the world to report on the most significant events of our time. From being punched in the stomach by Harold Wilson on one of his first days as a reporter, to escaping summary execution in Beirut, flying into Teheran with the returning Ayatollah Khomeini, and narrowly avoiding entrapment by a beautiful Czech secret agent, Simpson has had an astonishingly eventful career. In 1989 he witnessed the Tiananmen Square massacre, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of Communism throughout Eastern Europe and, only weeks later, in South Africa, the release of Nelson Mandela. With Simpson's uncanny knack of being in the right place at the right time, this autobiography is a ring-side seat at every major event in recent global history. 'So vivid I could feel my heart beating' Jonathan Mirsky, Spectator 'great stories, sometimes harrowing, sometimes hilarious'. - "Daily Telegraph".

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Travel, Journalism, History, Memoir, Autobiography

566 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

John Cody Fidler-Simpson CBE is an English foreign correspondent. He is world affairs editor of BBC News, the world's biggest broadcast news service. One of the most travelled reporters ever, he has spent all his working life at the corporation. He has reported from more than 120 countries, including thirty war zones, and has interviewed numerous world leaders.

Simpson was born in Cleveleys, Lancashire; his family later moved to Dunwich, Suffolk. His great grandfather was Samuel Franklin Cowdery (later known as Samuel Franklin Cody), an American showman in the style of Buffalo Bill Cody, who became a British citizen and was an early pioneer of manned flight in the UK. Simpson reveals in his autobiography that his father was an anarchist. That didn't prevent him from getting a top-notch education: he was sent to Dulwich College Preparatory School and St Paul's, and read English at Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he was editor of Granta magazine. In 1965 he was a member of the Magdalene University Challenge team. A year later Simpson started as a trainee sub-editor at BBC radio news.

Simpson became a BBC reporter in 1970. He describes in his autobiography how on his very first day the then prime minister Harold Wilson, angered by the sudden and impudent, as he saw it, appearance of the novice's microphone, punched him in the stomach.

Simpson was the BBC's political editor from 1980 till 1981. He presented the Nine O'Clock News from 1981 till 1982 and became diplomatic editor in 1982. He had also served as a correspondent in South Africa, Brussels and Dublin. He became BBC world affairs editor in 1988.

Reviews

[Richard Olney · Rating 5 out of 5]

First read a few years after its publication, this second or maybe third time with the book and most of the events Mr Simpson describes have become "proper actual history" whatever that might be.

After an evocative and interesting account of his family history and early years, we arrive at the BBC in the early 1960s where he has stayed, working for other media too, ever since. And as the blurb on the back of the book rightly says he has the uncanny knack of being at the right place at the right time. The name "BBC" has opened a lot of doors for him, but John Simpson and his teams still had to go through the door and report on what he found. It can't have been easy sometimes given what he found.

Mr Simpson was there during the bombing of Beirut in the early 1980s, and during what now seems to have been a momentous world-changing time of quiet and not so quiet revolutions and not so revolutions; he was in Tinanamen Square in 1989, Central and Eastern Europe in 1989, South Africa in 1994. He is also in Iraq for the first Gulf War, Belgrade for the UN bombing, he does seem to have been everywhere.

The world has changed a lot in the time that he reported it, and this book is a good a guide for what happened.

I greatly enjoyed the book, i have recommend it to others and the copy i currently have is my second third. Those i lent it to didn't return it, i don't blame them too much.

[Redfox5 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being born at the end of the 80s, a lot of the events mentioned in the book are ones that I'm only vaguely aware of. And before I read this, I'd never heard of John Simpson. But I often find when diving into books about people and events you know little about, they can be more interesting and you don't already have any biased feelings towards them.

I really liked this book, he certainly had an exciting life. I could not have put my own life on the line like that, just to get a good story. I enjoyed reading about the Wars and just following him through the rain forest. He told it all so well.

The part about the Old peoples home in Sarajevo has really stuck with me the past few days, thinking about everyone inside. I can't get it out my mind. Humans are awful to each other.

Overall I would recommend this, even if like me, you don't knwo who he is. You won't be disappointed.

[Jan Sandford · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent autobiography. John Simpson is an engaging writer, who has great clarity, a very British sense of humour, and a sense of fairness. In this 548-page book, he writes about some of the great events he has covered in his long career as a journalist: the massacre in Tiananmen Square, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the release of Nelson Mandela to name just three. His accounts are honest, and his style is lucid.

This is my first John Simpson read but not my last. I enjoyed every page even though some of his stories are at times acutely distressing. He certainly has lived life to the full and had a ringside seat to most world political events. Recommended.

[Nigel McFarlane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is only the first of several John Simpson autobiographies, yet this book contains more world events and more escapes from certain death than one would think possible in a thousand lifetimes. It's often hilarious, such as when a stuffy BBC newsroom tries to deal with a Vietnamese village named "Phuok Me", but there are also parts so horrific that one wishes one could unread what has just been described. There are fascinating insights into world events and extremes of humanity and inhumanity. Amazing stuff.

[Angela Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Absorbing and enlightening. Reading brought John's voice to life. There were bits where holding my breath to get to the bottom of the page was necessary but closing the cover, finally, feels empty handed. I want to read it again and will search for 'part 2'

[Tracey Binnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

John gives takes you on a wonderful journey through his exciting (and sometimes extremely dangerous career). From his strange upbringing to his even stranger life stories, it's hard to put the book down as you are eager to read about his next assignment.

[Behrooz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was really good.

[lucy latham · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️ an incredible autobiography. there’s so much i disagree with him on, but his resolve to journalism is something i admire so much. his anecdotes and observations are captivating. there’s not many old white men i’d read a 500 page book on, but he’s one of them.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book runs up to 1997 and descrIbes the great TV reporter, John Simpson's "adventures" in search of new stories from his start at the BBC IN 1966. I have already read the next volume in Simpson's memoirs and I really enjoyed it, but I think this book is at a higher level. At the core of the book is Simpson's relationship, very difficult at times, with the BBC and the latter's relationships with governments, including that of the UK. It is amazing how in the 18 years since this book was written so little has changed. The Conservative Party remains highly suspicious of the BBC and, this time, seems bold enough to do something about it, guided by the Murdoch press and the dreadful Daily Mail. Simpson stresses throughout this book his apolitical position, but because he seeks the truth out of every situation, this makes him and many of his colleagues, unpopular with politicians, to many of whom, truth is a difficult concept to grasp. What differentiates Simpson from many of his contemporaries is that he is clearly a writer as well as a broadcaster who puts himself "in harm's way" to improve our understanding of the way the world works. In doing so he often makes us very angry; often makes us cry; and often makes us laugh. This is a very enjoyable read as well as being very informative.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Simpson is one of those BBC news men who seems to have been around forever, and according to this book of his he has. He started at the BBC in 1966 in the radio news room, and after a short while, started to climb the ladder within the news room.

Following on from the radio, he made it into TV, and was sent to Ireland just as the troubles were starting. He seems to have managed to end up at the right place at the wrong time pretty consistently through his career, and the images and reports that appeared on our screens from South Africa, Israel, Germany, China and Afghanistan have been part of the reporting that has made the BBC what it is today as a source of reputable global news.

I enjoyed reading about Simpson, as like most I had seen and heard his reports over many years. To get a lot of the background and his feelings and thoughts and opinions on significant world events that he was there makes this a worthwhile volume to read.

[Casper Gasper · Rating 5 out of 5]

My overwhelming impression was just how good this book was. I'd seen him on TV many times of course, but I'd absolutely no idea about his days in Ireland during the start of the troubles, that he was in Tiananmen in 1989, on the same plane as the Ayatollah when he returned to Iran, in Beirut when the Christian militia decided to massacre the muslims, in Berlin for the fall of the Wall, and I obviously didn't know just how many times he'd nearly been killed.
In the introduction he does claim to have been unable to resist the temptation to settle a few scores, and it certainly shows! Fights with Harold Wilson, Kate Adie et al are all dutifully recorded. Nevertheless I ended up rather liking him, but even if you didn't it's such a fascinating life story -- a personal view of history from someone who was more often than not, there.

[Paul Kearney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Few real lives could catalogue world events to rival fiction, But John Simpsons realization that he’d be more suited to foreign affairs is being punched by Howard Wilson.
So in a typically old school BBC reporter matter of fact way,
He’s of to height of ‘troubles’ northern Ireland, Gets stuck in Falklands war Argentina, Thorough Beirut, Tienanmen square, Berlin wall, On to Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan.
Simpson’s judgement and luck for revolutionary uprising, Is such that his mere presence must fill every world leader with paranoid alarm.

[Jack Barraclough · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read over a period of time - each chapter centred on a different event in recent history. I was disappointed to discover other similar length books by John Simpson whilst reading this one - I thought it was reasonable to assume that 550 pages might contain all the main highlights of his career!

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had this book on my shelves for 10 years(!) but it was well worth the wait! Wow what an amazing read.. you can just hear John Simpson's voice as you read, it is so clearly written by him and the places he visited, the people he met and the events he witnessed were amazing. And so eloquently documented. Looking forward to the next 2 volumes as this first one only went up to 1997...

[The Final Chapter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Low 3. Respecting this eminent journalist, I was slightly disappointed at how lacking this work was. Perhaps the book dealt with too broad a canvas and perhaps I wished for a more detailed and insightful analysis of individual events on the international stage.

[Isobel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had this book for months but always picked another in preference to it until I ran out of others. What a mistake! What an amazing account of an exciting life. I can't wait to get the sequel which must be even more thrilling.

[Lesley Paris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not normally the sort of book I would read, but that's the beauty of being in a book club. I found it interesting with an amazing insight into events that have arisen through my lifetime. Sometimes funny, sometimes very sad.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Autobiography of a man who was a reporter on different fronts - not only European (like Ireland or Balkans), but also the foreign fronts like Chima, Iraq or Africa. The risky job with risks of being captured, imprisoned or shot redifined the life of the author.

[Bogdan Pantea · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of travel stories and anecdotes about famous events and people (approx. '60s-'90s), from the perspective of a news reporter. Aroma of authenticity. Here and there, some good irony and humor. The purely biographical part is not as boring as it could have been.

[Michael D'Offay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another of my many holiday reads. Entertaining read about various conflicts he has been into and characters he has met. Brave man but no concern for his life.. Certain recklessness needed to constantly put yourself in danger like that. Gave me fresh appreciation for war journalists.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great writer, sizeable ego but quite the character. And impressively in the right place at the right time.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

excellent

[Sinclair]

great book.

[Richard Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intreguing insight into the world and lifestyle of this most respected broadcast journalist.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great overview of Worlds Events by a BBC reporter who gives a first hand account

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some very interesting news stories and experiences covered, but the man is just so goddamn smug!