Samir Atallah ( ar, سمير عطاالله) (born 24 June 1941 ) is a Lebanese

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

, author and political analyst.

Life

Samir Atallah was born near Jezzine, 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, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

. His son Nasri Atallah is also a writer, and works in the digital media field.

Journalism and literary career

Atallah writes a daily column in the

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

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 p ...

Asharq Al-Awsat ''Asharq Al-Awsat'' ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, Aš-Šarq al-ʾAwsaṭ, 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 ...

and a weekly editorial in the Lebanese daily

An-Nahar ''An-Nahar'' ( ar, النهار, lit=The Day or The Morning) 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 ...

. 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 an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

. Atallah was also managing editor of Al-Anba in

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

, editor-in-chief of Al-Sayad in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and Al Osbo' il Arabi in

. He is the author of a number of novels, 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 Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

and Jacques Chirac to Indira Gandhi and Queen Elizabeth II.

Decorations and awards

Atallah was awarded the

Order of Merit (Lebanon) The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Ki ...

medal by President

Michel Suleiman Michel Suleiman ( ar, ميشال سليمان ; born 21 November 1948) is a Lebanese Maronite Christian politician who served as President of Lebanon from 2008 to 2014. Before becoming president, he served as commander of the Lebanese Armed Forc ...

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 ( ar, محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم, links=no; ; born 15 July 1949) is the vice president, prime minister, and minister of defence of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as well as the ruler of Dubai ...

during a ceremony at the

Arab Media Forum Arab Media Forum (Arabic: منتدى الإعلام العربي) is an international media forum organized by Dubai Press Club, founded in 2001 and based at Dubai, United Arab Emirates.Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

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 People from South Lebanon {{Lebanon-bio-stub