Python: Find backslash in imported string
===

This old chestnut is driving me up the wall . . . 

I'm trying to snip the first phrase in an imported string (s) which always takes the form: 

"\first phrase\\...\ ... "   The first phrase can be any length and consist of more than one word

The code I initially tried was: 

    phrase = s[1:s.find('\',1,len(s))] 

which obviously didn't work.  

r'\' won't compile (returns EOL error).  

Variations of the following:  r'\\\'; r'\\\\\\\', "\\\", "\\\\\\\"" resolve to: phrase = s[1:-1].  

As the first character is always a backslash I've also tried: 
phrase = s[1:find(s[0:1],1,len(s))], but it wasn't having any of it.

Any suggestions appreciated, this was supposed to be a 10 minute job!

Cheers
