As Channel 4’s international editor, Lindsey Hilsum has seen war in six continents across more than two decades. As a witness to the catastrophic effects of conflict, Lindsey would carry works of poetry with her to try and make sense of the world. She speaks to Georgina Godwin about her book, ‘I Brought the War with Me”, which collates her favourite poems alongside memories of her own work, whether speaking to child soldiers in Uganda, soldiers in Ukraine or giving testimonies of the Rwandan genocide. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hello, this is Meet the Writers.
I'm Georgina Godwin.
My guest today is the award winning international editor for Channel 4 News.
She's reported from six continents, including coverage of the major conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Kosovo, Rwanda and Ukraine in the past two decades.
She's written other books, including Sandstorm, Libya in the Time of Revolution, and in the Life and Death of the War Correspondent Marie Colvin, which won the James Tate Black memorial prize in 2018 in the biography category.
Throughout most of her career, she's carried a book of poetry with her as a way to make sense of the catastrophic events she saw daily during the Ukraine war.
She would post a poem a day on social media.
People would read them and ask for more.
In her latest work, I Brought the War With Me, she combines her favorite poems alongside memories of her own work.
Whether speaking to child soldiers in Uganda, soldiers in Ukraine, or giving testimonies of the Rwandan genocide, I Brought the War With Me reveals courage, meaning, and unexpected moments of love and care by those affected by conflict and the emotions and consequences that come long after the cameras go.
Lindsay Hilson, welcome to meet the writers.
It's lovely to be here, Georgina.
Thank you.
I spent so much of my career watching you on television.
And of course, we first met years and years ago in Zimbabwe when you were covering events there.
We did, many years ago.
In fact, somebody was reminding me last night of a time when President Mugabe was on the stage and I was with all the other journalists trying to, you know, get a question in as he would come off, and I asked the most annoying question possible, which was, Mr.
President, you seem to speak about Tony Blair a lot, but he never mentions you, which apparently elicited a furious answer, which I don't recall.
Lindsay, it seems extraordinary, though.
I mean, you've got this magnificent career and very dangerous career, but I mean, you, you grew up the daughter of a physicist in Malvern.