Edward Behr, 81; British foreign correspondent, author on many topics

Edward Behr, 81, a noted British foreign correspondent and writer who penned books on history, good eating and his career as a journalist, died May 26 in Paris, his family said.

Behr covered conflicts across the globe -- from the FrenchAlgerian conflict to the Vietnam War -- for publications that included Newsweek during a long career as a foreign correspondent.

His travels and reporting experiences inspired several books, including “The Algerian Problem” (1961), “The Last Emperor” (1987), “Hirohito: Behind the Myth” (1989) and “Kiss the Hand You Cannot Bite: The Rise and Fall of the Ceausescus” (1991) about the Romanian dictator and his wife.

Behr provided a telling look at his own trade with “Anyone Here Been Raped and Speaks English?” (1981), a query reportedly called out by a British reporter looking for sources during a crisis in Congo.

The Paris-born Behr’s other interests also provided fodder for books, including “The Artful Eater” (1992) and “Prohibition: Thirteen Years That Changed America” (1996).