Melhem Karam (1932–2010) was a Lebanese writer and journalist who owned many publications, including '' Al Bayrak'' daily newspaper and ''

Al Hawadeth ''Al Hawadeth'' () was a weekly news magazine which was published in Beirut, Lebanon, in the period 1911–2014 with some interruptions. The magazine is known for its publishers and editors: Salim Lawzi who was assassinated in March 1980, and M ...

'' weekly magazine. He was also the president of the Lebanese Journalists Union for nearly 50 years between 1961 and 2010.

Early life and education

Karam was born in

Chouf Chouf (also spelled Shouf, Shuf or Chuf; ) is a historic region of Lebanon, as well as an administrative district in the governorate ( muhafazat) of Mount Lebanon. Geography Located south-east of Beirut, the region comprises a narrow coastal stri ...

Deir al Qamar Deir al-Qamar () is a city south-east of Beirut in south-central Lebanon. It is located five kilometres outside of Beit ed-Dine in the Chouf District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate at 800 m of average altitude. History Crusader period The ol ...

, in 1932. His parents were Karam Melhem Karam, an author, and Emilie Asmar. They were

Maronites Maronites (; ) are a Syriac Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant (particularly Lebanon) whose members belong to the Maronite Church. The largest concentration has traditionally resided near Mount ...

. He had two sisters and a brother, Issam Karam (died March 2020), who was the head of Beirut Bar Association. Karam graduated from the Sagesse high school and then, studied law at the

Saint Joseph University Saint Joseph University of Beirut (; French: ''Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth'', commonly known as USJ) is a private Catholic research university in Beirut, Lebanon, founded in 1875 by French Jesuit missionaries and subsidized by the Go ...

and at the

Lebanese University The Lebanese University (LU; ) is the only state-funded public university in Lebanon. It was established in 1951. The university's main campus was originally located in Beirut, but a few satellite campuses were opened due to travel restriction ...

Career

During his studies at the university Karam worked for different Lebanese newspapers and magazines. In 1961 Karam was elected as the head of the Lebanese Journalists Union which he held until his death in 2010. He was also the vice president of the Arab Journalists' Federation and of the International Journalists' League. Karam was the owner of the publishing house, Dar Alf Leila Wa Leila, which produced several publications, including Arabic weekly magazine ''

'', '' Al Bayrak'' daily newspaper, '' La Revue du Liban'' magazine and ''Monday Morning'' magazine. He also served as the editor-in-chief of these publications. He made many interviews with leading politicians, including

Hosni Mubarak Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak (; 4 May 1928 – 25 February 2020) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the fourth president of Egypt from 1981 to 2011 and the 41st Prime Minister of Egypt, prime minister from 1981 to ...

King Fahd Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (; 1920, 1921 or 1923 – 1 August 2005) was King of Saudi Arabia, King and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 13 June 1982 until his death in 2005. Prior to his ascension, he was Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 1 ...

and

King Hussein Hussein bin Talal (14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was King of Jordan from 1952 until his death in 1999. As a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family of Jordan since 1921, Hussein was traditionally considered a 40th-generati ...

Books

Karam was the author of the following books: ''The Storm'', ''A Thousand and One Nights'' and ''The Secrets''.

Personal life and death

Karam married Leila Mubarak with whom he had three children. He died from a heart attack on 23 May 2010.

Awards

Karam was the recipient of the following:

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

(France; 1985),

National Order of the Cedar The National Order of the Cedar () is the highest Order (honour), state order of Lebanon, established on 31 December 1936. It is offered in five grades. History The Order was created on the 31 December 1936, but is regulated by the Lebanese C ...

(Officer, 1987) and National Order of Merit (France; Officer, 1988).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karam, Melhem 20th-century Lebanese journalists 1932 births 2010 deaths Lebanese journalists Saint Joseph University alumni Lebanese University alumni Lebanese newspaper publishers (people) People from Chouf District Recipients of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the National Order of the Cedar Recipients of the Ordre national du Mérite Lebanese Maronites