India Knight


India Knight is a British journalist and author. She writes for British newspapers, and has written the books: My Life on a Plate, Don't You Want Me?, The Shops, Neris and India's Idiot-Proof Diet and The Thrift Book. Her novels have been translated into 28 languages.

Background

She was born to Sabiha Rumani Malik and Michel Aertsens, the son of First World War hero Gaston Aertsens and Marie-Louise Lacroix, of the family of Belgian statesman Henri Jaspar. At the time of India's birth Malik was 17 years old while Aertsens was 20 years Malik's senior. Soon after her birth India’s parents separated and India lived in Brussels with her mother who, whilst continuing her studies, worked as a translator to support her daughter and herself.
In 1975 India’s mother married Andrew Knight, the editor of The Economist; at age 9 India moved to London to live with her mother and stepfather. At the age of 13, she changed her name via deed poll to India Knight, choosing the name to reflect her mother's Asian heritage alongside her stepfather's surname.
Her mother and stepfather were married for 17 years and had two daughters, Amaryllis and Afsaneh. They were divorced in 1991, and soon after, India's mother married a family friend, the architect Norman Foster; they remained married until 1995. In her semi-autobiographical novel Comfort and Joy, Knight writes about her family and her mother.

Personal life

Knight lives in Suffolk with her partner and daughter. Her first marriage was to Jeremy Langmead, the former editor of Wallpaper* magazine and Esquire magazine. The couple have two sons. When they divorced, they lived in houses a few doors apart in Primrose Hill; he subsequently left London for Youngsbury House in Hertfordshire.
Her third child's father is author Andrew O'Hagan.
In December 2015 she announced her forthcoming marriage to former MP Eric Joyce, her boyfriend of six years.. On 6 November 2018, Joyce was arrested and charged with making an indecent photograph of a child. He was given unconditional bail and his pre-trial hearing will take place on 7 July 2020 at Ipswich Crown Court.

Political views

In August 2014, Knight was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to September's referendum on that issue.

Books

Fiction