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Drawing on interviews with his contemporaries, friends, adversaries and colleagues, as well as his own family, this is a portrait of both the public and private life of John Junor.

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9780007102136

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Was it vanity or a need to confess his guilt which prompted Sir John Junor to ask his daughter, Penny, the well-known writer, royal biographer and broadcaster, to write the story of his life? The answer is: probably both. As editor of the Sunday Express for 32 years and author of a hugely popular column, he was a legend. In public, at least, he appeared supremely confident in his abilities as the best columnist Fleet Street had ever seen, and yet, according to his daughter, he was haunted to the last by self-doubt and craved constant praise and flattery. He was also painfully aware of the havoc he wreaked in the lives of his staff and all those closest to him, particularly his wife and children. It was only when Penny read an unpublished and plainly autobiographical novel left to her by her father that she became aware of the true extent of the infidelity which precipitated the final breakdown of his marriage. It is a well-worn cliche to say that, like him or loathe him, you could not ignore him, but in this case, it is obviously true. He was a domineering bully, prone to fearful outbursts of temper, a heavy drinker and a manipulator who thought nothing of wrecking other people's relationships and careers for his own ends. And yet he could also be loving, witty, charming and flirtatious, as evidenced by the number of women, notable among them Selina Scott, who fell under his spell and remained loyal to the end, despite the appalling cruelty which he inflicted upon them. He had to be in control; he would take people under his wing, offering advice and support - sometimes for years. And yet he would just as soon drop them, leaving them bewildered and hurt. The tragedy was that he could not help the one person who really needed it, his son Roderick, whose life was plagued by the alcoholism which was to kill him. That was his private life; his public persona was of a charismatic and powerful man who rubbed shoulders with the most influential politicians and famous personalities of his day. This is a fascinating read, both as an expose of one of our best-known newspapermen, and as a painful coming-to-terms by his daughter with the contradictions of their troubled relationship. (Kirkus UK)

Author Information

Penny Junor is a frequent commentator on the Royal Family on TV and in the press. She is the author of a number of bestselling royal and political biographies.

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