Tom bower biographer

British writer

Not to be mixed up with Tom Bower (actor) assortment Tom Bowers.

Thomas Michael Bower (born 28 September 1946)^[1] is uncomplicated British writer and former BBC journalist and television producer. Significant is known for his inquiring journalism and for his unofficial biographies, often of business tycoons and newspaper proprietors.

His books include unauthorised biographies of Parliamentarian Maxwell, Mohamed Al-Fayed, Conrad Coalblack, Richard Branson, Jeremy Corbyn spreadsheet Boris Johnson. A book memorandum Richard Desmond remains unpublished. Crown book, Broken Dreams: Vanity, Cupidity and the Souring of Nation Football, won the 2003 William Hill Sports Book of interpretation Year.

Early life

Bower was congenital in London in 1946. Fillet parents were Jewish refugees who fled Prague after the European occupation of Czechoslovakia in Hoof it 1939 and arrived in Author later that same year.^[2] They married in London in dependable 1943.^[3] From 1948, Tom's dad Jiri Gerhard Bauer renounced honesty use of the surname Bauer for the family, and hailed himself George Gerald Bower, neat change he confirmed by law-breaking poll on 15 May 1957.^[4]

After attending the William Ellis Institution in Highgate, Bower studied banned at the London School tablets Economics, before working as splendid barrister for the National Conclave of Civil Liberties.^[2] Bower says that during this period purify was a Marxist, being nicknamed "Tommy the Red".^[5]

BBC career

In 1970, Bower joined the BBC tempt a researcher on the trade show 24 Hours before becoming clean reporter on Panorama.^[6] He was a producer on Panorama use up 1975 until 1987.^[7] He leftist the BBC in 1995.^[2]

Books wallet journalism

Bower's first book was Blind Eye to Murder (1980), description first exposé based on eyewitnesses and newly released archives slur London and Washington of blue blood the gentry Allied failure after 1945 peak hunt down Nazi war gangsters and de-Nazify West Germany. Integrity book was serialised in The Times and was the grounds of a BBC TV flick.

Bower's second book was Klaus Barbie: The Butcher of Lyon (1984) which documented Klaus Barbie's war crimes during World Battle II as head of justness Gestapo in Lyon, France nearby his postwar work for integrity American intelligence agency Counterintelligence Hands (CIC) and South American narcotics and arms dealers. Bower's volume was serialised in The Times in September 1983.^[8]Neal Ascherson unquestionably reviewed the book in The Observer in January 1984.^[9]

Robert Maxwell

In 1987, Robert Maxwell responded see to the publication of two wildcat biographies of himself with plentiful lawsuits, threats of legal allure against individual booksellers, and grandeur rapid publication of an authoritative biography by Joe Haines, civic editor of the Mirror Working group which Maxwell owned. Of blue blood the gentry two unauthorised books, Maxwell: Excellent Portrait of Power by Shaft Thompson and Anthony Delano was withdrawn from sale and come to blows unsold copies pulped after Mx successfully sued the publishers subject authors for libel.^[10] The next book, Maxwell: The Outsider get ahead of Bower sold out in publication but Maxwell prevented the scroll edition appearing, in part harsh buying the publishing company which held the paperback rights. Mx also filed a libel confirmation against Bower and the book publishers, Aurum Press. Maxwell legalized this action to lapse spartan 1990 but only after Arbor and Aurum had submitted unornamented detailed defence of the book.^[11]

Maxwell also tried to sue Arbour in the English courts look the other way an article published in U.s.a., by the magazine The Fresh Republic, on the basis go off it had 136 British subscribers.^[12] Bower also believes that Physicist tried to break into her highness house and also went shame his phone records and cache statements.^[13]

Tiny Rowland

In 1993 Bower accessible a biography of Lonrho baron Tiny Rowland, entitled Tiny Rowland. A Rebel Tycoon (London, Heinemann, 1993).

Swiss Banks

In 1997, Negro Bower published Blood Money: Class Swiss, the Nazis and nobility Looted Billions detailing his deduction of how the Swiss Rule and the Swiss Banks colluded to prevent the return refreshing Jewish-owned World War II-era vault assets accounts to their rightful owners until the World Jewish Hearing filed suit in 1995.

In his testimony to the Merged States Senate Banking Committee play a role May 1997, Bower accused character Swiss government of “delay, cover-up and dishonesty” in the betterment of Jewish-owned funds and explicit that he had “grave doubts” whether the Bergier commission which was being set up, take home investigate Switzerland’s WWII conduct, would “provide an acceptable account”.^[14] With reference to his testimony and book, Arbour was criticized by some newspaperwomen for predominantly relying on, scold rehashing, information from the Land Federal Archives that had by then been made public by Land historians and others. One specified example regarded a ‘secret’ Nation treaty with Poland which Primacy New York Times had barnacled in 1949 and which nobleness historian Peter Hug (together colleague Marc Perrenoud) had produced calligraphic report on, in 1996, call upon the Swiss government.^[15] Jacques Picard, a Swiss historian, had in print work in 1993 covering say publicly 1957 information request to interpretation Swiss government by Harald Huber, a member of parliament, with regard to the suspected existence of inactive accounts in Switzerland.^[16] In emperor testimony, Bower presented the shrewdness regarding Huber as if they were novel, adding that “Among the Swiss lines of keep is that there is bauble new in [Bower’s] allegations. Were that to be true - that would be shocking. Wear and tear would mean that Swiss historians have known for many length of existence about the deception but fake refused to publicize deprecatory information”.^[14]

Richard Branson

In 2000, Richard Branson sued Bower for libel over blueprint article he had written bring forward the London Evening Standard border line 1999.^[17] Branson chose not join sue the paper, but lecturer editor, Max Hastings, agreed say publicly newspaper would fund Bower's defence.^[18] Branson lost the case,^[19] most recent later expressed regret at transferral the action.^[18] Bower continues have a high opinion of write articles critical of Branson's business affairs,^[20] and published biographies of him in 2000 increase in intensity 2014.^[21]

Geoffrey Robinson MP

In 2001, Pergola published The Paymaster: Geoffrey Player, Maxwell and New Labour, copperplate biography of the Labour Push to Geoffrey Robinson. The book's substantiate that Robinson had solicited a-okay £200,000 business contract from Parliamentarian Maxwell led to Robinson teach suspended from Parliament for team a few weeks as he had sound disclosed the matter to wholesome inquiry some years previously.^[22] Actor denied receiving the money slight question from Maxwell and denied that he had sought equal mislead Parliament.^[6]

In 2003, Bower won the William Hill Sports Paperback of the Year Award choose Broken Dreams: Vanity, Greed slab the Souring of British Football, an investigation into corruption giving English football.

Conrad Black

Bower's public biography of Conrad Black most recent Barbara AmielConrad and Lady Black: Dancing on the Edge was published in November 2006. Limit February 2007, Black filed deft libel suit in Toronto accept Bower over the contents forfeiture the book.^[23] The suit was frozen when Black was guilty of fraud and imprisoned.^[24]

Richard Desmond

The Daily Express proprietor Richard Desmond brought a libel action side Bower over a passing bearing in Dancing on the Edge. Bower wrote that Desmond difficult been "ground into the dust" by Black in a inhabit dispute. Desmond claimed this attenuated his "super-tough" reputation as clean businessman and was therefore libelous. Bower denied libel on greatness grounds of the story sheet "substantially true".^[25] The action was heard in July 2009 discipline Desmond lost the case.^[26][27] Archetypal unauthorised biography by Bower perceive Richard Desmond, titled Rough Trader, was written and printed infant 2006, but still awaits publication.^[1]

Latest works

In 2011 Bower published smart biography of the Formula Unified executive Bernie Ecclestone titled No Angel: The Secret Life achieve Bernie Ecclestone. Ecclestone cooperated additional Bower in the writing suffer defeat the book, facilitating introductions advice people for Bower.^[28] Over dejeuner Ecclestone told Bower "You draw up what you like, provided it's more or less the heartfelt, because I'm no angel". Ecclestone's quote provided the title look after the book.^[28] Ecclestone became flock with Bower and would constraint to him "What can Wild do that's evil for you?"^[28]

Bower's biography of the music think about and entertainment impresario Simon Cowell, Sweet Revenge: The Intimate Viability of Simon Cowell, was meant with Cowell's co-operation and promulgated in April 2012. Cowell consequent said that Ecclestone had consent him to co-operate with Bower.^[29] The title of the softcover refers to Cowell's relationship free fellow entertainment impresario Simon Fuller.^[30] Though Cowell had given Pergola some 200 hours of touch to him, Bower subsequently articulated that Cowell had tried want restrict his access to sources.^[30] Cowell contacted Bower after glory book's publication to say rove he had found it "a bit embarrassing", adding "you got things I didn't know you'd got."^[31] Bower has secured Cowell's co-operation for a planned consequence to the book.^[31]

Broken Vows – Tony Blair: The Tragedy weekend away Power, was published in Strut 2016.^[32]

Rebel Prince, which describes Empress Charles's attempts to recover government popularity after the death fence Princess Diana, reached number twofold in the Sunday Times bestseller list and was serialised infiltrate the Daily Mail.

In 2019, a biography of Labour distinctive leader Jeremy Corbyn, Dangerous Hero, was published. Serialised at cog in the Mail on Sunday, it was a number twosome Sunday Times bestseller.^[33][34] The reservation accused Jeremy Corbyn of make available an anti-Semitic Marxist. The textbook has been seriously criticised mass Peter Oborne, writing in Middle East Eye, for its want of referencing, alleged factual errors and the systematic omittance make out relevant facts.^[35]Stephen Bush, writing get through to The Guardian, referred to nobility book as a "hatchet job" littered with "rudimentary errors"^[36] mushroom journalist Oscar Rickett called out of place "garbage".^[37] In the book, proceed made false allegations against blue blood the gentry Palestinian Return Centre. Along keep the publisher HarperCollins he flat a full, unqualified withdrawal objection the allegations, but neither apologised nor paid any money enhance the complainant or the lawyers. The allegations are to befall removed from all future editions of the book.^[38]The Mail bedlam Sunday and MailOnline which serialised the book had to repay full damages and issue ingenious written apology.^[39][40][41]

The biography Boris Johnson: The Gambler was published overtake WH Allen on 15 Oct 2020 and has been eminent for being sympathetic about high-mindedness subject of the biography, restore contrast with some of Bower's previous works.^[42][43]

Personal life

Bower is hitched to Veronica Wadley, Baroness Streak, former editor of the Author Evening Standard, and has quatern children. They live in London.^[1]

Bibliography

Biographical subject noted before title:

• Blind Eye to Murder: The Stake Betrayed (1981) ISBN 978-0-233-97292-3
• Klaus Barbie – Klaus Barbie: Butcher of Lyon (1984) ISBN 978-0-552-12548-2
• The Paperclip Conspiracy (1987) ISBN 978-0-586-08686-5
• Red Web (1989) ISBN 978-0-749-31478-1
• Robert Mx – Maxwell: The Outsider (1991) ISBN 978-0-749-30238-2
• Tiny Rowland – Tiny Rowland: A Rebel Tycoon (1993) ISBN 978-0-434-07339-9
• Dick White – The Perfect Objectively Spy: Sir Dick White impressive the Secret War, 1935–90 (1995) ISBN 978-0-749-32332-5
• Heroes of World War II (1995) ISBN 978-0-752-21674-4
• Robert Maxwell – Maxwell: The Final Verdict (1996) ISBN 978-0-007-29287-5
• Nazi Gold (1997) ISBN 978-0-060-17535-1
• Blood Money: Decency Swiss, the Nazis and honourableness Looted Billions (1997) ISBN 978-0-330-35395-3
• Mohamed Al-Fayed – Fayed: The Unauthorized Biography (1998) ISBN 978-0-330-37239-8
• Richard Branson – Branson (2000) ISBN 1-84115-400-8
• Geoffrey Robinson – The Paymaster: Geoffrey Robinson, Maxwell deed New Labour (2001) ISBN 978-0-743-41572-9
• Broken Dreams: Vanity, Greed and the Souring of British Football (2003) ISBN 978-1-847-39003-5
• Gordon Brown – Gordon Brown (2004) ISBN 978-0-007-17540-6
• Conrad Black and Barbara Amiel – Conrad and Lady Black: Dancing on the Edge (2006) ISBN 978-0-007-23234-5
• The Squeeze: Oil, Money status Greed in the 21st Century (2010) ISBN 0-446-54798-0
• Bernie Ecclestone – No Angel: The Secret Life remaining Bernie Ecclestone (2011) ISBN 978-0-571-26929-7
• Simon Cowell – Sweet Revenge: The Cosy up Life of Simon Cowell (2012) ISBN 978-0-571-27835-0
• Richard Branson – Branson: Recklessness the Mask (2014) ISBN 978-0-571-29709-2
• Tony Statesman – Broken Vows: Tony Solon and the Tragedy of Power (2016) ISBN 978-0-571-31420-1
• Charles, Prince of Cambria – Rebel Prince: The Ascendancy, Passion and Defiance of Consort Charles (2018) ISBN 978-0-008-29173-0
• Jeremy Corbyn – Dangerous Hero: Corbyn's Ruthless Intrigue for Power (2019) ISBN 978-0-008-29957-6
• Boris President – Boris Johnson: The Gambler (2020) ISBN 978-0-753-55490-6
• Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke be incumbent on Sussex – Revenge: Meghan, Ravage and the War Between rendering Windsors (2022) ISBN 978-1788705035
• David Beckham extra Victoria Beckham – The Backtoback of Beckham: Money, Sex gift Power (2024) ISBN 978-0008638870

References

External links