Polly Samson (born 29 April 1962 in London, England) is an English journalist and songwriter.
Biography [edit]
Her father was Lance Samson, a newspaper editor and diplomatic correspondent for the Morning Star (died 4 February 2013) and her mother was a writer of Chinese descent, Esther Cheo Ying, who wrote a memoir, Black Country Girl in Red China, about her time serving as a Major in Mao Zedong's Red Army. Following a troubled childhood, Polly joined the publishing industry, through which she met the writer Heathcote Williams, with whom she had her first son, Charlie.[3] Following his birth, Samson was left homeless by squatters and was taken in for a period by the journalist Cassandra Jardine.[4]
Following their split, Samson met Pink Floyd singer and guitarist David Gilmour, whom she married[5] in 1994 during Pink Floyd's Division Bell tour. They currently live in West Sussex. Her son Charlie was adopted by Gilmour[5] and they have three other children: Joe, Gabriel, and Romany.
She has also written short stories for BBC Radio 4 and has had a collection published Lying in Bed (Virago 1999) and a novel, Out of the Picture (Virago 2000),[6] as well as contributing pieces and stories to many other books and publications including Gas and Air (Bloomsbury 2003), Girls Night In (Harper Collins 2000), A Day in the Life (Black Swan 2003), and The Just When Stories (Beautiful Books 2010).
Samson is credited as a co-writer on seven of The Division Bell's 11 tracks,[7] and, with the retrospective credit given to Clare Torry for her vocals on "The Great Gig in the Sky",[7] she is one of only two female co-writers of any Pink Floyd songs. She also wrote lyrics for Gilmour's 2006 album, On an Island,[7] and made a guest appearance on piano and vocals.[7]
Samson's collection of stories, Perfect Lives, was published in November 2010 by Virago Press.
Bibliography [edit]
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| Persondata |
| Name |
Samson, Polly |
| Alternative names |
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| Short description |
Journalist, writer |
| Date of birth |
29 April 1962 |
| Place of birth |
London, England |
| Date of death |
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| Place of death |
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