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

Al Bayrak ''Al Bayrak'' (; ''The Flag'') was an Arabic language newspaper published in Beirut, Lebanon. It was one of the leading and oldest Arabic papers in the country. After being published for a century the paper closed in August 2011. History ''Al Ba ...

'' newspaper and ''

Al Hawadeth ''Al Hawadeth'' (Arabic: الحوادث; ''The Events'') 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 w ...

'' magazine. He was also long-term president of the Lebanese Journalists Union for nearly 50 years in the period 1961–2010.

Early life and education

Karam was born in

Chouf Chouf (also spelled Shouf, Shuf or Chuf, in ''Jabal ash-Shouf''; french: La Montagne du Chouf) is a historic region of Lebanon, as well as an administrative district in the governorate (muhafazat) of Mount Lebanon. Geography Located south-east ...

Deir al Qamar Deir al-Qamar ( ar, دَيْر الْقَمَر, lit=Monastery of the moon, translit=Dayr al-qamar), is a city south-east of Beirut in south-central Lebanon. It is located five kilometres outside of Beiteddine in the Chouf District of the Mount Le ...

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

Maronites The Maronites ( ar, الموارنة; syr, ܡܖ̈ܘܢܝܐ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and Levant region of the Middle East, whose members traditionally belong to the Maronite Church, with the largest ...

. 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'', abbreviated to and commonly known as "USJ") is a private Catholic research university located in Beirut, Lebanon, which was founded in 1875 by French Jesuit mis ...

and at the

Lebanese University The Lebanese University (LU) (, ) is the only public university in Beirut, Lebanon. It is ranked #701–750 worldwide in terms of education. The creation of the Lebanese University was an idea first mentioned in the speech of the former Minist ...

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 ''

'', ''

'' daily newspaper, ''

La Revue du Liban ''La Revue du Liban'' (full title: ''La Revue du Liban et de l'Orient Arabe'') was a long-running French-language weekly magazine published in Beirut, Lebanon. It existed between 1928 and 2011. History and profile The magazine was founded in 192 ...

'' 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. Before he entered politics, Mubarak was a career officer in t ...

King Fahd Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ( ar, فهد بن عبد العزيز آل سعود ''Fahd ibn ʿAbd al ʿAzīz Āl Suʿūd'', ; 1920, 1921 or 1923 – 1 August 2005) was a Saudi Arabian politician who was King and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia fro ...

and

King Hussein Hussein bin Talal ( ar, الحسين بن طلال, ''Al-Ḥusayn ibn Ṭalāl''; 14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was King of Jordan from 11 August 1952 until his death in 1999. As a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family of ...

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 (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

(France; 1985),

National Order of the Cedar National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karam, Melhem 20th-century journalists 20th-century Lebanese writers 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