Vanora Bennett (born 1962) is a British author and journalist.

Biography

Bennett grew up in London, the eldest daughter of the flute player

William Bennett William John Bennett (born July 31, 1943) is an American conservative politician and political commentator who served as the third United States secretary of education from 1985 to 1988 under President Ronald Reagan. He also held the post of d ...

and the cellist Rhuna Martin, and read Russian and French at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

. She also studied Russian at

Voronezh State University Voronezh State University (, ВГУ; VSU) is one of the main universities in Central Russia, located in the city of Voronezh. The university was established in 1918 by professors evacuated from the University of Tartu in Estonia. The university ...

in the former Soviet Union and at ''Le Centre d'Études Russes du Potager du Dauphin'', a centre established by White Russian emigres outside Paris, at Meudon. She has published four historical novels since 2006, a travel book about Russia in 2003, and a non-fiction book about the

first Chechen war The First Chechen War, also referred to as the First Russo-Chechen War, was a struggle for independence waged by the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria against the invading Russia, Russian Federation from 1994 to 1996. After a mutually agreed on treaty ...

in 1998. She reported from France and Africa, then spent seven years as a foreign correspondent in Russia and the CIS for

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

and the

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

, before returning to the UK as a leader writer for

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

of London. She left the newspaper in 2004 to write a new book and to study the Middle East. Bennett won an American

Overseas Press Club The Overseas Press Club of America (OPC) was founded in 1939 in New York City by a group of foreign correspondents. The wire service reporter Carol Weld was a founding member, as was the war correspondent Peggy Hull. The club seeks to maintain ...

award in 1997 for her work on Russia, and the British

Orwell Prize The Orwell Prize is a British prize for political writing. The Prize is awarded by The Orwell Foundation, an independent charity (Registered Charity No 1161563, formerly "The Orwell Prize") governed by a board of trustees. Four prizes are award ...

for journalism in 2004. Bennett's first novel, ''Portrait of an Unknown Woman'', told the story of the German Protestant artist Hans Holbein painting the family of the English statesman

Sir Thomas More Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, theologian, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry V ...

, a committed Catholic, at the time of

King Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagreement w ...

's decision to take England out of the Church of Rome in the early 1530s. It was shortlisted for the 2007

Authors' Club First Novel Award The Authors' Club Best First Novel Award is awarded by the Authors' Club to the most promising first novel of the year, written by a British author and published in the UK during the calendar year preceding the year in which the award is presented. ...

. Her novel, ''Midnight in St Petersburg'', set during the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

, was published in 2013. Bennett now lives in London. She is married to the barrister Chris McWatters. They have two children.

Books

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Vanora 1962 births Living people 20th-century British novelists 21st-century British novelists Voronezh State University alumni