A Foreign Affair: A Passionate Life in Four Languages'Walking along the drab, grey streets past bomb craters and piles of rubble, I day-dreamed about a more romantic world where people spoke exotic languages, played music, and sang and danced with passion.' Trapped in the austerity of post-war London, 20-year-old Valerie Barnes dreamt of the good times promised by the wartime songs. Then two chance meetings catapulted her into a high-flying career at the UN in Geneva and the arms of a glamorous Frenchman... Joining an elite breed of independent women who travelled the world in the 1950s and 1960s, Valerie lived a jetset life as an interpreter, working in exotic locales and rubbing shoulders with prime ministers and presidents. At the same time she was juggling a Swiss chalet home, three children and a love- rat of a husband back in Geneva. But whatever Valerie did, she threw herself into it with zest. From dancing flamenco to being kidnapped in Cairo, wooed as wife number 14 by an African president or falling for a passionate Pole, Valerie's tales from home and abroad make A FOREIGN AFFAIR a lively, funny, utterly delightful memoir. |
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afternoon airport ALICE STEINBACH apéritif arrived asked baby Baumier beautiful booth butcher's wife Carmen Amaya Cassie coffee colleagues conference conference interpreting dancing Dany delegates dinner door dressed driving drove English enjoyed eyes face father feel felt flamenco floor flowers France French friends front garden Geneva Gérard glass hair hand head heard Imelda Marcos Isetta Janek Juliette Gréco knew language later looked lunch Maison des Congrès Marc married Mary-Ann meeting Mont Blanc morning mother never night no-one once Palais des Nations Palais Wilson preters realised round Russian Secretary seemed simultaneous interpretation sitting sleep smallpox smiled Sometimes Spanish started suitcase Swiss Switzerland talking tall taxi tell thing thought told took translation trees United Nations Versoix voice waiting walk wanted watched wearing week window wine wonderful words wore