Anthony Grey
Encyclopedia
Anthony Grey OBE is a British journalist and author. As a journalist for Reuters
he was detained for 27 months in China from 1967 to 1969. He has written a series of novels and non-fiction books, including several relating to his detention.
in Beijing
in July 1967 he was confined to the basement of his house by the Chinese government, ostensibly for spying, but really in retaliation for the jailing of eight left-wing journalists who had violated emergency regulations in Hong Kong
. China demanded the release of the eight before Grey would be released. While the eight were eventually released, China then demanded the release of a further 13 Chinese jailed in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong government refused. Grey was able to communicate by mail with his mother and girlfriend back in England, but was only allowed two 20-minute visits by British consular officials in the first 17 months of his confinement, and was never formally charged.
He was released in October 1969 after 27 months of captivity. Upon his return to Britain he was awarded the "Journalist of the Year" prize for 1969 at the IPC
National Press awards, and an OBE.
, Punch
and The Illustrated London News. Between 1974 and 1979 he was a presenter on Twentyfour Hours, a daily international affairs programme on the BBC
's World Service.
He produced television documentaries for the British TV stations BBC
and ATV World
. These include Return to Peking in which he described changes in China since his imprisonment, and Return to Saigon, in which he visited Vietnam for the first time, subsequent to his successful novel Saigon.
In the late 1980s Grey's experience as a political hostage led him to found Hostage Action Worldwide, which worked for the release of other political hostages, in particular John McCarthy
, Brian Keenan
, Terry Waite
and others held by Islamic groups in the Middle East
.
From the 1990s Grey took an interest in UFOs. He produced a three-part documentary in 1996-1997 for the BBC World Service entitled 'UFO's - fact, fiction or fantasy?'. His conclusion was that there is overwhelming evidence for visitations to earth by extra-terrestrials.
, and subsequently in London
, West Sussex
and Norwich
.
Short story collections
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
he was detained for 27 months in China from 1967 to 1969. He has written a series of novels and non-fiction books, including several relating to his detention.
Detention in China (1967 - 1969)
While working for ReutersReuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
in July 1967 he was confined to the basement of his house by the Chinese government, ostensibly for spying, but really in retaliation for the jailing of eight left-wing journalists who had violated emergency regulations in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. China demanded the release of the eight before Grey would be released. While the eight were eventually released, China then demanded the release of a further 13 Chinese jailed in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong government refused. Grey was able to communicate by mail with his mother and girlfriend back in England, but was only allowed two 20-minute visits by British consular officials in the first 17 months of his confinement, and was never formally charged.
He was released in October 1969 after 27 months of captivity. Upon his return to Britain he was awarded the "Journalist of the Year" prize for 1969 at the IPC
IPC Media
IPC Media , a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Inc., is a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the United Kingdom, with a large portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year.- Origins :...
National Press awards, and an OBE.
Later career
He published various stories and articles in such magazines as PlayboyPlayboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
, Punch
Punch (magazine)
Punch, or the London Charivari was a British weekly magazine of humour and satire established in 1841 by Henry Mayhew and engraver Ebenezer Landells. Historically, it was most influential in the 1840s and 50s, when it helped to coin the term "cartoon" in its modern sense as a humorous illustration...
and The Illustrated London News. Between 1974 and 1979 he was a presenter on Twentyfour Hours, a daily international affairs programme on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's World Service.
He produced television documentaries for the British TV stations BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and ATV World
ATV World
ATV World , is one of the free-to-air English language television channels in Hong Kong, the other being its arch-rival TVB Pearl. Its sister station, ATV Home, broadcasts in Cantonese language...
. These include Return to Peking in which he described changes in China since his imprisonment, and Return to Saigon, in which he visited Vietnam for the first time, subsequent to his successful novel Saigon.
In the late 1980s Grey's experience as a political hostage led him to found Hostage Action Worldwide, which worked for the release of other political hostages, in particular John McCarthy
John McCarthy (journalist)
John Patrick McCarthy CBE is a British journalist, writer and broadcaster, and one of the hostages in the Lebanon hostage crisis...
, Brian Keenan
Brian Keenan
Brian Keenan may be:*Brian Keenan , Provisional Irish Republican Army member*Brian Keenan , United States musician...
, Terry Waite
Terry Waite
Terry Waite CBE is an English humanitarian and author.Waite was Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie's Assistant for Anglican Communion Affairs in the 1980s. As an envoy for the Church of England, he travelled to Lebanon to try to secure the release of four hostages including journalist John...
and others held by Islamic groups in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
.
From the 1990s Grey took an interest in UFOs. He produced a three-part documentary in 1996-1997 for the BBC World Service entitled 'UFO's - fact, fiction or fantasy?'. His conclusion was that there is overwhelming evidence for visitations to earth by extra-terrestrials.
Personal life
In 1970 Grey married Shirley McGuinn (16 December 1932 - 24 November 1995), his girlfriend at the time of his imprisonment in China. They had two daughters, and divorced in 1992. From 1969 to 1973 the Greys lived in JerseyJersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
, and subsequently in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
and Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
.
Fiction
Novels- Some Put Their Trust in Chariots (1973)
- Crosswords from Peking (1975)
- The Bulgarian Exclusive (1976)
- The Chinese Assassin (1978)
- SaigonSaigon (novel)Saigon is a novel by Anthony Grey. Saigon follows the lives of three families, one American, one French, and the other Vietnamese, from the French colonial era in the early 1920s until the last helicopter left Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War....
(1982) - The Prime Minister Was a Spy (1983)
- Peking: A Novel of Chinas Revolution 1921-1978 (1988)
- The Bangkok Secret (1990) based around the real-life mysterious shooting death of Thailand's King Rama VIII
- The Naked Angels (1990)
- A Gallery of Nudes (1992)
- Tokyo Bay (1996)
- The German Stratagem (1998)
Short story collections
- A Man Alone (1972)
- What is the Universe In? (2003)
Non-Fiction
- Hostage in Peking (1970) recounting his experiences in Chinese captivity
- Quest for Justice: Towards Homosexual Emancipation (1992)
- Speaking of Sex: The Limits of Language (1993)
- Hostage in Peking Plus (2008)
- The Hostage Handbook: The Secret Diary of a Two-Year Ordeal in China (2009)
External links
- "Foreign Correspondents: The Tiny World of Anthony Grey", Time Magazine, 20 December 1968
- Anthony Grey archive at the University of East AngliaUniversity of East AngliaThe University of East Anglia is a public research university based in Norwich, United Kingdom. It was established in 1963, and is a founder-member of the 1994 Group of research-intensive universities.-History:...