Edward Behr is a veteran journalist and war correspondent turned author and broadcaster. His many books include studies of the Algerian War, the Chinese Cultural Revolution, a best-selling biography of the 'Last Emperor', Pu Yi ( which was awarded the Gutenberg Prize in 1988 and was the companion book to Bertolucci's Oscar-winning film), and another, published in Penguin, on the late Emperor Hirohito. Behr's autobiography and humorous reflections on the nature of journalism, Anyone Here Been Raped and Speaks English?, also published in Penguin, is regarded as a modern classic, and his novel, Getting Even, has been translated into ten languages.

His numerous television documentaries include Red Dynasty, a three- part series for BBC2 which documented Chinese communism and the events leading to the massacre at Tiananmen Square; The Rise and Fall of Ceausescu, a BBC-PBS co-production which was nominated for an Emmy in 1992; and a prize-winning documentary on India for French television. He has also written film scripts and published books on the musicals Les Misérables and the making of Miss Saigon.

When not travelling, Edward Behr lives in Paris and in Ramatuelle with his wife and two cats.