Antony Wynn Biography

Antony Wynn read Persian and Turkish at Balliol, spending a year at Shiraz University as part of the course.

1972-1976: Based at Hamadan in western Iran, working as a buyer of Persian carpets for the Oriental Carpet Manufacturing Company, travelling all over Iran.

1976-1978: Moved to Gonbad-i Kavus, on the Turkoman border of Iran, to run a country racecourse and introduce the Jockey Club Rules of racing to the Turkoman, who were not used to any sort of rules.

1979-1991: After training as a slaughterman and butcher in Australia and New Zealand, represented the Vestey company in the Middle East, China and Mongolia. Sponsored prizes for the Ulan Bator races – 600 horses racing over 30 miles. Was presented with three horses by grateful winners.

1991: Started a business servicing oil companies working in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, making frequent visits to Iran and the Caspian region.

Reviewer and columnist for Cornucopia, a magazine for connoisseurs of Turkey. Lecturer.

How I Found the Agency

Persia in the Great Game did not have an easy genesis. On the basis of a very rough synopsis, Caroline Knox, then the sainted senior commissioning editor at John Murray, agreed to publish it. To her embarrassment she shortly she had to tell me that, for only the second time in her long career at JM, she had been overruled. Kindly, she put me in touch with Andrew who, within a week, had an offer from a newly founded publisher. Shortly before the book was due to go to print the publisher folded. Not to be beaten, Andrew sent the now finished m/s back to Caroline, who this time was able to persuade JM to publish.