"Less is better than more"

Behind the House of St Barnabas in Soho's Greek Street lies a hidden haven of a garden and a private chapel. One of the most beautiful spots in London.

The SohoCreate series of events was a great opportunity to see behind some of the usually closed doors of this special part of London.

I was fortunate in being able to see Alan Yentob interview Judith Kerr, writer of The Tiger Who Came to Tea. I had no idea of her background - forced to flee Berlin as a girl of nine because her father spoke out against the Nazis.

Hearing her talk - guided by the informed Yentob - was a true inspiration. Both of them are interesting and accomplished people. One of my next tasks is to watch the film they made together: Hitler, The Tiger and Me.

Kerr described herself as "a bit stupid" in having no idea of the fear felt by people in Berlin as the Nazis gradually came to power in the early 1930s. She found it "incomprehensible" that a law should be passed initially banning Jews from owning pets and then even mixed race families.

Writing for her seems a responsibility because of the number of similar children and adults with a German Jewish background who were denied the life she's lived.

Her mother and father met Einstein. Now that's celebrity name-dropping!

I loved her discussion of Google searching as time-saving for an illustrator - "how else do you know what a tiger looks like with their mouth open?" I also loved the fact that, at 90, she says she keeps discovering things.

"Words and pictures make a symphony - together, they tell the story."

And what a story she tells through her life and her books.

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Hilary Seabrook - writer, podcaster, musician

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