Lynn Barber's Education

In the 70s she was famous for being a sex expert and publishing a revolutionary book How to Improve Your Man in Bed? Then she was nicknamed Demon Barber because of her interviews, direct and merciless for the interviewee. She worked in such newspapers as Penthouse, Sunday Times, the Observer and received a couple of journalism awards.

But she is probably, at least recently, most famous for her teenage affair with a stranger, much older than her, who turned out to be a cheater and freud. This episode from her youth was filmed by Lone Scherfig in the movie An Education starring Carrey Mullig as the main protagonist.

Don't they look alike?

The movie's screenplay was based on her Memoir An Education, published 2009. But the story of the romance (and engagement!) with Simon (in the movie he is called David, which Barber disapproved as David was the name of her beloved husband) is described in only one chapter of the book. Believe me, the rest is equally interesting. Barber writes about her promiscous Oxford time, her contribution to the sexual revolution and her amazing journalist career. Her style of writing is extremely brilliant and extremely honest, which I really appreciated. Barber's autoirony is hillarious and her sincerity is impressive. But the most moving is the last chapter - the tough story about losing the love of her life, her husband David who suffered from cancer. 

                                                         Lynn Barber, I do admire you.