The author of the biography of Anna Wintour told about her book
Amy Odell told The Cut portal about the process of writing the biography of the editor—in-chief of Vogue magazine, the most influential woman in the fashion world - Anna Wintour.
The book was written without the participation of Anna herself — she refused numerous interview requests, but provided a list of closest friends and associates with whom the author was able to talk. Odell started working on her biography back in 2018.
It was extremely difficult, especially at the very beginning. When people were constantly hanging up the phone, I began to doubt very much that the book would work. Many of them, out of respect for Anna, did not want to talk about her if it seemed to them that I was doing something that she would not approve of,
— told Amy about the initial stage of writing the book.
Odell spent a year and a half in libraries reading archives and letters and looking for people willing to talk about Anna, when representatives of Wintour finally contacted her. It was very important for Amy that the book should not be a collection of gossip, but a collection of real facts from Anna's biography and the views of different people on her personality and success. That is why she has conducted more than 250 interviews during the entire time of writing.
Most people have formed their idea of the life of Anna Wintour from the movie "The Devil wears Prada". Amy Odell's book presents a detailed "humanized" portrait of one of the most influential women in America. From the biography you can learn about her personal life, love and success stories. The author even mentions that Wintour once called Bill Gates very attractive.
One of the author's favorite chapters is about Anna's work in New York magazine. In this chapter, you can see how the spirit of the editor-in-chief begins to awaken in Wintour,
Odell explains.
At that time, as the book tells, Anna was once asked: "How do you wear high heels every day?". She replied: "It's not that far from the front door to the limo."
The book is written for people who want to learn about the life of Anna Wintour. She's not going to write a memoir, so if people want to know about her, then this book is for them,
Odell concludes.
Amy Odell is a famous fashion journalist who once interviewed Anna Wintour herself. She worked for a long time as the fashion editor of the American Cosmopolitan.
