weidenfeld knew everyone, from intellectuals, artists, he threw great parties.thout incurring the payment required sexually. and the only way i could deal with it was to avoid actual body—to—body contact and pleasure him orally." i'm reading it out, but there is a question underpinning it, which is, if that is not calculating, manipulative, and transactional, i don't know what is. well, i do think it is calculating, manipulative, and transactional. although you have left out other lines that i wrote, in which i said how much i loved his conversation, how much i loved his being, his sense of humour, and his intellectual brilliance. but the part that you read, i cannot take back. i might have written it a little more, erm... oh, i don't know, a little more gently, but it's true. i did enjoy the notion of sitting next to great writers, politicians. i did want to hang on to ourfriendship. and what would've happened was, under normal circumstances — because he had many, many women friends with whom he did not have a sexual relationship — under normal circumstances, i

i think the one incident you're referring to is my relationship with george weidenfeld, who i adored.ord weidenfeld — who actually we've had on hardtalk, as well, of course, no longer alive — but he was renowned in london as a great publisher and socialite, and womaniser. you very bluntly say that, i think, while you were still in your third marriage — but you're in the uk — you became close to weidenfeld, and he clearly became besotted with you. and you say, and i'm going to quote this at some length, "being with him, i thought rather calculatingly "gave me access and status. "he threw great parties. "i was trying to hang on to the social advantages "without incurring the payment required sexually. "and the only way i could deal with it was to avoid actual "body—to—body contact and pleasure him orally." i'm reading it out, but there is a question underpinning it, which is, if that is not calculating, manipulative, and transactional, i don't know what is. well, i do think it is calculating, manipulative, and transactional. although you have left out other lines that i wrote, in which