Adam Zamoyski

He was educated at Downside and Oxford, where he read History. Bored by the parochial way in which it was taught, he switched to Modern Languages (he speaks French, Italian, and Russian as well as Polish) which proved invaluable, giving him a broader historical perspective.

Avoiding the constraints of academe, even visiting professorships, he has ploughed a resolutely independent furrow, choosing to research and write about often unfashionable subjects.

Drawn as much by the historical processes at work there as by family ties, he began to visit Poland in the late 1960s and explore its history and culture. The Polish Way, which featured in the best-seller lists for several weeks when it came out in 1987 and was reprinted many times over the next three decades, opened up a neglected area of Europe’s past, transcending national boundaries. As do all his books – most notably Holy Madness and Phantom Terror, whose sweep covers more than a century and three continents.

As well as publishing over a dozen books, he has contributed to all the major British papers and periodicals, and lectured widely in England, Europe and the United States.

Alongside his professional activities, Adam Zamoyski has always been profoundly concerned with cultural heritage, its preservation and popularisation, and with the environment.

He is married to the painter Emma Sergeant and divides his time between London and their farm in Poland.