John Miller (journalist and author)
| John Miller | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | John Miller |
| Occupation | Journalist and Author |
| Nationality | British |
| Literary movement | Russia |
| Website | |
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johnmillercornfields | |
John Miller is a British journalist and author who was based primarily in the Soviet Union.
Biography
Early years
He was born in London and went to the Enfield Grammar School before two years of National Service in the Army when he learned Russian. He began working life on the Eastern Daily Press in Norwich and covered Wymondham and Brandon, in Suffolk. Having joined Reuters he was sent to Moscow in 1960 at the height of the East-West Cold War, and among the big news stories he covered from Moscow were the Sino-Soviet split, the U-2 drama, the Cuban missile crisis, Soviet space ventures, the involvement of British, American and Soviet intelligence agencies, and the Soviet dissident campaign. He later switched to the Daily Telegraph. He also worked in apartheid South Africa, was a diplomatic correspondent and a foreign leader writer.
Writing career
John Miller has been a Foreign Office national observer of elections in Russia, 1993, 1995 and 1996, in the Ukraine 1994 and in Kazakhstan, also 1996. He collaborated on several books, including the The Falklands Conflict and The Sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff with Christopher Dobson and Ronald Payne, and On The Day We Almost Bombed Moscow with Christopher Dobson.
His novel The Chamdo Raid is set in Tibet. His is the author of two local books: The Best of Southwold and Southwold in Old Photographs. His book Spunyarns about the wonderful world of a beach hut in Southwold, appeared in December 2012.
All Them Cornfields and Ballet in the Evenings
Published in May 2010 by Hodgson Press, All Them Cornfields and Ballet in the Evenings is a personal story about the vanished world of the U.S.S.R. For more than 40 years the U.S.S.R. was the centre of John Miller’s working life as a foreign correspondent. He went to the Soviet Union at the height of the East-West Cold War and some of the most prominent stories of the 20th century such as the Great Spy Game, the U-2 drama, the Cuban Missile Crisis occurred while he was reporting there.
The book contains details of everyday life in the Soviet Union such as shortages, dealing with the KGB as well as with bedbugs and cockroaches, censorship, living in a Moscow flat with a rabbit called Floppy, drunkenness, dissidents and death.
The book contains many photographs that detail John Miller and his family's life along with the lives of those around him.
References
- Campbell Doon. Magic Mistress. The Tagman Press. 2000. Page 278.
- Deedes. W.F. Dear Bill. Macmillan 1997. Page 266.
- Garland. Nicholas. Not Many Dead. Hutchinson 1990. Pages 7. Et al.
- Hastings, Max. Editor: An Inside Story of Newspapers. Macmillan 2002. Pages 98–99.
- Kron, Alexander. Novy Mir. February 1983. Pages 13–14.
- Lambert, Derek. Unquote. Arlington Books. 1981. Page 66.
- Purdy, Anthony. Burgess and Maclean. Secker and Warburg. 1963. Page 15.
- Roberts, John C.Q. Speak Clearly into the Chandelier. Curzon. Page 53.
- Venter, Al.J. War in Africa. Human and Rousseau. Cape Town. 1973. Pages 132-146.