John Simpson

John Simpson is the BBC's World Affairs Editor and author of several books.

From his Q & A with the Independent:

Choose a favourite author, and say why you like her/him

The author I turn back to is George Eliot. It's comfortable reading her. Part of it is knowing the ending.

* * *
Which fictional character most resembles you?

One of those broken down Graham Greene characters, who have betrayed everyone and are taking too much drink. I'm not a betrayer and I don't drink too much but I'm a little bit frayed.

* * *
Who is your hero/heroine from outside literature?

I have a sense that people are not heroes all the way through but at a historical moment, there are people who behave absolutely rightly. An old man during the 1979 Iranian revolution spoke to troops in bulldozers who'd come to knock down Persepolis. He told them there were sacred pictures in the city and they went away. He was there at a key historical moment.

Read the complete interview.

--Marshal Zeringue