Samir Atallah () (born 24 June 1941) is a Lebanese

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

, author and political analyst.

Life

Samir Atallah was born near

Jezzine Jezzine ( ''Jizzīn'') is a municipality in Lebanon, located from Sidon and south of Beirut. It is the capital of Jezzine District. Surrounded by mountain peaks, pine forests (like the Bkassine Pine Forest), and at an average altitude of 95 ...

, Lebanon in a small village called Bteddine El Loqch. Atallah is married to May Francis, from a Southern town called (Mieh ou Mieh) near Saida and has two children, Nasri and Maria. He resides in

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

. His son

Nasri Atallah Nasri Atallah (born 12 November 1982) is a British-Lebanese author, television host, producer, and media entrepreneur. He is the former editor-in-chief of ''Esquire Middle East'', a co-founder of Last Floor Productions, and a former contri ...

is also a writer, and works in the digital media field.

Journalism and literary career

Atallah writes a daily column in the

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

Asharq Al-Awsat ''Asharq Al-Awsat'' (, meaning "The Middle East") is an Arabic international newspaper headquartered in London. A pioneer of the "off-shore" model in the Arabic press, the paper is often noted for its distinctive green-tinted pages. Although pu ...

and a weekly editorial in the Lebanese daily

An-Nahar ''An-Nahar'' () is a leading Arabic-language daily newspaper published in Lebanon. In the 1980s, ''An-Nahar'' was described by ''The'' ''New York Times'' and ''Time Magazine'' as the newspaper of record for the entire Arab world. History and p ...

. He is a regular guest on Lebanese and Arab television and radio stations as a political and social commentator. Atallah has written his daily column in Asharq Al-Awsat since 1987 and has been with An Nahar in various roles intermittently since the late 1950s. He has been the paper's correspondent in various European capitals as well as correspondent to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

. Atallah was also managing editor of Al-Anba in

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

, editor-in-chief of Al-Sayad in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and Al Osbo' il Arabi in

. He is the author of a number of

novels A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of '' ...

, historical books and travelogues. In a career spanning five decades, he has met and interviewed many leading figures in the contemporary world from

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...

and

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, ; ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Pari ...

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...

and

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

Decorations and awards

Atallah was awarded the

Order of Merit (Lebanon) The Order of Merit is a Lebanon, Lebanese order of merit and the highest honorary decoration in Lebanon. Founded on 16 January 1922 by the mandate authorities, it has since its inception rewarded civilians who perform acts of chivalry and loyalty ...

medal by President

Michel Suleiman Michel Suleiman ( ; born 21 November 1948) is a Lebanese politician who served as the 12th president of Lebanon from 2008 to 2014. Before becoming president, he served as commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces from 1998 to 2008. After Lebanese A ...

in June 2013 for his contribution to Lebanese journalism and literature. In 2008, he was awarded the Newspaper Column Award by Sheikh

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (; born 15 July 1949) is an Emirati politician and royal who is the current ruler of Dubai, and serves as the Vice President of the United Arab Emirates, vice president and Prime Minister of the United Arab ...

during a ceremony at the

Arab Media Forum Dubai Press Club (Arabic: نادي دبي للصحافة) is a part of the Government of Dubai Media Office founded in November 1999 by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and is based in Dubai Media City in Dubai, United Arab Emirates Dubai (Hel ...

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

Published works

* The Village Years (in English) * Traveler Without A Port (Moussafir Bila Mina' - Published in London) * The Pistachio Salesman (Ba'ee al Fustok - Published in Beirut) * Journeys in the Lands of Others (Masafat fi Awtan al Akhareen - Published by Dar An Nahar, Beirut) * On People and Cities (Nass wa Moudoun - Published by Dar Al Hani) * The Ink Caravan (Qafilat al Hibr - Published by Saqi Books, London) * The Generals of the Levant (Generalat al Sharq - Published by Saqi Books, London) * Sinbad's Diary (Awraq al Sindibad - Published by Dar Al Hadr) * Youmna (Published by Dar An Nahar)

References

External links

Samir Atallah Biography on Asharq Al-Awsat website (Arabic)
1941 births Living people Lebanese columnists Lebanese journalists Writers from Beirut Lebanese emigrants to Kuwait Lebanese emigrants to the United Kingdom {{Lebanon-bio-stub