Wow! eBook
Lost Horizons: A Foreign Correspondent's Extraordinary Life Story
Author(s): Denis D. Gray (Author)
- Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
- Publication Date: June 2, 2026
- Language: English
- Print length: 304 pages
- ISBN-10: 0804858594
- ISBN-13: 9780804858595
Book Description
Born Zdenek Mecir in communist Czechoslovakia, Gray’s dramatic flight to freedom set the stage for a legendary career as a foreign correspondent for the Associated Press. Over five decades reporting from nearly 40 countries, he covered the Vietnam War, the fall of Phnom Penh and Cambodia’s “Killing Fields,” and conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In
Lost Horizons, Gray recounts encounters with kings, killers and celebrities, alongside brushes with death, betrayal, love and friendships forged in war. Structured thematically rather than chronologically, this deeply personal memoir captures both the violence of global conflict and the fragile humanity within it.Drawing on eight decades of upheaval and change, Gray reflects on authoritarianism, the decline of journalism, climate change, and the shifting moral landscape of our time, while wrestling with his own longing for peace and belonging.
Lost Horizons is a vivid account of breathtaking change across the world—and of one man’s search for a horizon that never quite stops moving.Editorial Reviews
Review
“Gray’s memoir carries us through wars and among warlords, spies, and spymasters—but also into realms where no bullets fly, yet the stakes are immense: the loss of wildlife and the destruction of Asian heritage cities at the hands of ruthless developers and profiteers.” —
Jiri Sitler, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Czech Republic“Haunting and beautiful—a wonderfully informative, adventurous weave of varied, often harrowing but also exhilarating experiences from child refugee to war correspondent, bearing witness to the devastating conflicts wrought my humankind, including our war with wildlife.” —
Belinda Stewart-Cox, Founder of the Elephant Conservation Network, Thailand“Denis Gray’s memoir of life as a foreign correspondent is a powerful read, stretching from the end of the Vietnam War to the new era of authoritarianism. He makes sense of this history with sharp observations and memorable personal anecdotes as he tackles all the big subjects: War, Revolution, American over-reach, Destruction of the Planet. A special strength is his sensitive understanding of the cultures of Southeast Asia.” —
Elizabeth Becker, author of You Don’t Belong Here: How Three Women Rewrote the Story of War“A terrific book…the book describes a “life well lived” amid the problem of deciphering an increasingly complex period of history.” —
Lord David Puttnam, producer of Killing Fields and other classic films“Denis Gray has through six turbulent decades occupied front row seats, and foxholes, to report on some of the most violent upheavals of our times” —
Bangkok Post
