Ian traynor biography

Ian Traynor, the Guardian’s globally respected Europe editor, died in Brussels on Saturday after a short illness at the age of 60.

Ian witnessed, reported and interpreted the critical turning points in post-cold war European history including the fall of the Berlin Wall and Germany’s reunification, the rise of Solidarity in Poland, the bloody breakup of Yugoslavia, as well as the European Union’s expansion and subsequent crises.

“Ian was one of the finest reporters of his generation, who brought a rare level of knowledge and expertise to his work,” said Katharine Viner, the Guardian’s editor-in-chief. “He covered many epoch-defining events for the Guardian, from the breakup of the Soviet Union to the Greek financial crisis, and he will be hugely missed by colleagues and readers alike.”

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Rare among journalists, Ian was a true linguist as well as a gifted reporter.

He started studying Russia