Journalist and self described ‘smoking martyr,’ Lynn Barber has celebrated her 80th birthday with a bespoke cake – covered in cigarettes.
The writer, who turned 80 on Wednesday, celebrated entering her ninth decade with a book launch and a cake that appeared to be covered with half smoked stubs.
Cheerio Publishing, who are publishing her new book A Little Art Education, shared photos to Instagram of the writer’s cake as well as celebrations at Tristan Hoare Gallery in Fitzrovia, London.
The journalist is famous for her smoking habit which even ended with her refusing to attend a literary festival.
Now 80, Lynn started smoking over 60 years ago and polishes off over 30 cigarettes a day along with a bottle of wine.
Self described ‘smoking martyr,’ Lynn Barber, has celebrated her 80th birthday and latest book launch with a cake that appears to be covered in cigarettes
Lynn, pictured, is a lauded journalist and author who has worked for a number of newspapers including The Observer and The Sunday Times and is most famous for her viscous but effective interviewing
While her cake looks like a grubby mess of half smoked cigarette stubs and mountains of ash, it was in fact made with sugar cigarettes’ and crumbled Oreo biscuits.
The cake was then slathered in white icing and faux cigarettes before being finished with a glass ash tray balanced on the top.
Lynn, who is a lauded journalist and author, has worked for a number of newspapers including The Observer and The Sunday Times and was most famous for her viscous but effective interviewing.
In 2009, Lynn was embroiled in a smoke related dispute after she due to discuss her memoir, An Education, but ended up pulling our Richmond’s Book Now because the local council refused to include a picture of her smoking in the event leaflet.
The picture, which featured Lynn in black and white with her head thrown back and a cigarette in her mouth, was deemed unacceptable by Richmond council who said it didn’t encourage ‘good health habits’.
The journalist adamantly refused and replied in a characteristic way that she’d ‘always wanted to be a Smoking Martyr and obviously this is my opportunity’.
At the time she also said: ‘if a pic of me smoking is such a threat to the good burghers of Richmond, imagine what my presence would do.’
The event was held at the Tristan Hoare gallery in London, including a balcony that was available only for Lynn and ‘plus one on the terrace’
Lynn, pictured sat down, said she had ‘always wanted to be a Smoking Martyr’ after Richmond council refused to use a picture of her a smoking in a leaflet for a literary festival
While celebrating her birthday, Lynn also launched her new book, A Little Education in Art
While celebrating her birthday, Lynn also launched her new book, A Little Education in Art. The book continues on from her previous memoir, An Education (made into an Oscar-nominated film featuring Carey Mulligan) and includes entertaining anecdotes with the famous artists she’s come across over the years of her successful career in interviewing.
The launch cum birthday was held at the Tristan Hoare gallery in London where it included a private balcony available only for ‘Lynn and plus one on the terrace.’
Lynn is also the winner of several British Press awards as well as being the author of a study of Victorian naturalists, The Heyday of Natural History, as well as How to Improve Your Man in Bed and The Single Woman’s Sex Book.
Creator of the cake was Jessye Sweeney, a cake maker from North West London who owns a bakery creating handmade bespoke celebration cakes.