Neal Ascherson

Charles Neal Ascherson (born 5 October 1932) is a Scottish journalist and writer.

Ascherson was born in Edinburgh on 5 October 1932. He was awarded a scholarship to Eton. Before going to university, he did his National Service as an officer in the Royal Marines, serving from July 1951 to September 1952, and seeing combat in Malaya. He then attended King's College, Cambridge, where he read history and graduated with a triple starred first degree. The historian Eric Hobsbawm was his tutor at Cambridge and described Ascherson as "perhaps the most brilliant student I ever had. I didn't really teach him much, I just let him get on with it." He is a member of the semi-secretive Cambridge Apostles society, a debating club largely reserved for the brightest students.

After graduating he declined offers to pursue an academic career. Instead, he chose a career in journalism, first at The Manchester Guardian and then at The Scotsman (1959–1960), The Observer (1960–1990) and The Independent on Sunday (1990–1998). He contributed scripts for the documentary series The World at War (1973–74) and the The Cold War (1998). He has also been a regular contributor to the London Review of Books.

...
Wikipedia