Patrick Seale

Patrick Abram Seale (7 May 1930 – 11 April 2014) was a Belfast-born journalist[1] and author who specialised in the Middle East. A former correspondent for The Observer, he interviewed many Middle Eastern leaders and personalities. Seale was also a literary agent and art dealer.

Patrick Seale
Born(1930-05-07)7 May 1930
Belfast
Died11 April 2014(2014-04-11) (aged 83)
London
NationalityBritish
Occupationjournalist

Early life and education

Patrick Abram Seale[2] was a Belfast-born journalist.[1] His father was Morris Siegel Seale (1896–1993), the Arabist and theologian, who was a Jewish convert to Presbyterianism and Christian missionary in Syria, where Patrick spent most of his first 14 years. He attended Balliol and St Antony's College, Oxford, where he specialised in Middle Eastern history.[3] He obtained his D.Litt. at Oxford University. His sister was the fashion designer Thea Porter.

Career

His journalistic experience includes six years with Reuters, mainly as a financial journalist, and over twelve with The Observer, covering the Middle East, Africa, and India.

Seale authored numerous books,[4] including The Struggle for Syria (1965), French Revolution 1968 (1968), Philby, the Long Road to Moscow (1973), The Hilton Assignment (1973), Asad of Syria: The Struggle for the Middle East (1988), Abu Nidal: A Gun for Hire (1992), and The Struggle for Arab Independence: Riad el-Solh and the Makers of the Modern Middle East (2010).

Based in France, Seale was syndicated by Agence Global.[5] His columns appeared in most major newspapers around the world, and were carried weekly by several newspapers, including Al-Hayat (London), Al-Ittihad (Abu Dhabi), The Daily Star (Beirut), The Saudi Gazette (Jeddah) and Gulf News (Dubai).

Family

He married twice. First to Lamorna Heath in 1971 (died 1978) by whom he had two children, Orlando and Delilah. His second wife, the writer and broadcaster Rana Kabbani, was the mother of his younger children, Alexander and Yasmine.[6]

Death

Seale died from brain cancer on 11 April 2014, aged 83, in London.[6]

References
  1. "Profile: Patrick Seale". The Guardian. London. 11 April 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  2. Tim Llewellyn, Obituary: Patrick Seale, The Guardian, 13 April 2014
  3. "Dr Patrick Seale". Syrian Center for Political & Strategic Studies. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  4. "Books by Patrick Seale". Amazon.com. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  5. "Patrick Seale profile". Agence Global. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  6. Tim Llewellyn "Patrick Seale, Syria specialist and former Observer correspondent, dies, aged 83", The Observer, 13 April 2014
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