Antony Beevor Print

The historian & writer Antony Beevor came to the Hay on Wye Literary Festival to talk about the occasion of his new book, Normandy. I was the official artist in residence at the festival. I asked him if he would sit for a portrait. He agreed. I saw he was reading French, he was checking on the translation for Normandy by his French publisher. I was impressed he could read French. He was helpful but it was all a little too formal for me. I wanted to lighten the mood and atmosphere between us. So I said 'l happen to know and be a good friend of Lyuba Vinogradova.' Hearing this he suddenly changed and became very friendly. This pleased me, what I hoped for. I knew Lyuba was his Russian researcher for his books Stalingrad and Berlin. Many years before she had come to work as a young woman on a small farm next to where I lived in Pembrokeshire, West Wales. We talked about Lyuba, we had something in common, he asked how she was, I told him she had moved to Southern Africa with Martin her English husband. On the third book they worked together on he was generous enough to give her a credit on the cover. She was now writing her own book about the female fighter pilots during the Second World War. His books include: Paris, Stalingrad, Berlin, The Second World War, Arnhem, Ardennes 1944, The Battle of Spain, The Spanish Civil War, Christmas at Stalingrad, D-Day, The Faustian Pact.