About Noel Barber
Lived 1909 – 1988 (aged 78). Noel Barber was a British journalist and novelist.
Noel Barber (9 September 1909 – 10 July 1988) was a British novelist and journalist. Many of his novels, set in exotic countries, are about his experiences as leading foreign correspondent for the Daily Mail. He was the son of John Barber and his Danish wife, Musse, and had two brothers: Kenneth, a banker, and Anthony Barber, Baron Barber.
Most notably he reported from Morocco, where he was stabbed five times. In October 1956, Barber survived a gunshot wound to the head by a Soviet sentry in Hungary during the Hungarian revolution. Fires of Spring (1952) Strangers in the Sun (1955) A Handful of Ashes: A Personal Testament of the Battle of Budapest (1957) The White Desert (1958) Distant Places (1959) The Flight of the Dalai Lama (1960) Life with Titina (1961) Adventures At Both Poles (1963) Conversations with Painters (1964) The Black Hole of Calcutta (1965) Let's Visit the USA (1967) Sinister Twilight: The Fall And Rise Again of Singapore (1968) From the Land of Lost Content (1969) The War of the Running Dogs: How Malaya Defeated the Communist Guerrillas, 1948-60 (1971) The Sultans (1973) Lords of the Golden Horn: From Suleiman the Magnificent to Kamal Ataturk (1973) Seven Days of Freedom: Hungarian Uprising, 1956 (1974) The Week France Fell: 10–16 June 1940 (1976) The Natives Were Friendly So We Stayed the Night (1977) The Singapore Story (1978) Fall of Shanghai: Communist Takeover in 1949 (1979)
Adaptations Tanamera was filmed as a television serial in 1989 as Tanamera – Lion of Singapore, while The Other Side of Paradise was filmed for TV in 1992 as The Other Side of Paradise.
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Important facts
People in Noel Barber's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Noel Barber's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Noel Barber?
British author and journalist (1909-1988)
When was Noel Barber born?
Noel Barber was born on 9 September 1909 in Hessle.
When did Noel Barber die?
Noel Barber died on 10 July 1988 in London.
What was Noel Barber's occupation?
Noel Barber was a journalist and novelist.
What nationality was Noel Barber?
Noel Barber was British.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Noel Barber. https://biography.guide/noel-barber/
MLA: "Noel Barber." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/noel-barber/.
Chicago: "Noel Barber." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/noel-barber/.
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