India Knight

Infobox Writer


imagesize = 150px
name = India Knight
birthdate = 1965
birthplace = Brussels, Belgium
occupation = Journalist, Columnist, Novelist
nationality = United Kingdom
website = http://timesonline.typepad.com/india_knight/|

India Knight, born in 1965, is a British journalist and author born in Brussels, Belgium, known for her contribution to the British media, as well as her books: "My Life on a Plate", "Don't You Want Me?", "The Shops" and "Neris and India's Idiot-Proof Diet".

Biography

Knight was born to Michel Aertsens and his wife Begum Sabiha Rumani Malik (of an Indian Sufi Muslim family). The marriage ended in divorce; in 1975 her mother married the media baron Andrew Knight; they were divorced in 1991, after having two more daughters; Amaryllis Knight and Afsaneh Knight. It is not clear when India Knight began to use her first stepfather's surname. India's mother subsequently married the architect Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank; they remained married until 1998.

Knight, a native French speaker, lived in Brussels until about the time she turned nine. After migrating to the United Kingdom, she was educated at the Lycée Charles de Gaulle school in London and at Wycombe Abbey School, Buckinghamshire. She was awarded an exhibition to Trinity College, Cambridge, where she read Modern Languages from 1984-1987, before starting her career in journalism.

In addition to writing for and contributing to major British magazines and newspapers, India Knight writes two weekly columns for "The Sunday Times "; one of these columns (online) is written for parents with children who have special needs, inspired by her daughter who has DiGeorge Syndrome. She is also a regular guest on British radio and television.

After writing an article in "The Sunday Times" about her daughter's special needs, Knight was so inundated with e-mails that in October 2006, she launched a blog about children with special needs "for parents in a similar position to keep in touch, compare notes and help each other". The blog is called [http://timesonline.typepad.com/india_knight/ "Isn't She Talking Yet?"] .

Personal life

Knight lives in London with her children. She has recently separated from her long-term boyfriend, author Andrew O'Hagan, father of her third child, and was previously married to Jeremy Langmead, with whom she has two sons. Langmead is the former editor of Wallpaper* magazine and currently the editor of "Esquire" magazine.

Books

Fiction

* "My Life on a Plate" 2000
* "Don't You Want Me?" 2002

Non-fiction

* "The Shops" 2003
* "The Dirty Bits For Girls", editor 2006
* "Neris and India's Idiot-Proof Diet" 2007

Children's books

* "The Baby" 2007

References

External links

* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/india_knight India Knight's column in "The Sunday Times"]