Albright to pen her memoirs

US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright plans to write her memoirs after she leaves public life later in the month.

The Washington Post reports that a major part of her book will focus on her past eight years with the Clinton administration, first as the US ambassador to the United Nations and then as Secretary of State.

Albright, who comes from a family of refugees, will also write about her personal life. As an adult she learned that her family was Jewish and that three of her grandparents perished in Nazi concentration camps.

She will be represented by Washington attorney Robert Barnett, who also represented Senator Hillary Clinton in landing a book deal, and will begin meeting next week with publishers to pitch her story.

David Rosenthal, of publishing house Simon & Schuster, which recently gave the outgoing First Lady an $8m advance for her memoirs, declined to say whether the firm would meet Albright to discuss her proposed book.

But Rosenthal said: "She's a compelling figure and has a fascinating story to tell."

The Washington Post said more than half a dozen publishers were interested in Albright's memoirs.