James MacManus (Writer)

James MacManus graduated from St Andrews University in Scotland in 1966 and has worked as a reporter and foreign correspondent for a number of national newspapers in the UK. He was the Paris correspondent, Africa Correspondent and then Middle East correspondent for the Guardian of London between 1974 and 1986.

He joined the Times in November 1992 as Assistant Editor and took over as Managing Editor in September 1996. He is now an executive director of Rupert Murdoch's News International in London and Managing Director of The Times Literary Supplement.

MacManus came across the story of George Hogg while working as a correspondent in Beijing in 1984.He wrote a lengthy newspaper article on the adventures of the young Englishman before he was commissioned to write the film script for The Children of the Silk Road.

In March 2008 Harper Collins in London will publish MacManus' book ''Ocean Devil'' which tells the true story of how George Hogg became, and remains a hero to the Chinese people.