Patrick Abram Seale (7 May 1930 – 11 April 2014) was a British 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 | 7 May 1930 Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom |
| Died | 11 April 2014 (aged 83) London, England, United Kingdom |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Spouse(s) | Lamorna Heath (1971 - her death, 1978) Rana Kabbani (1985 -his death, 2014) |
Background
editPatrick Abram Seale[2] was a Belfast-born journalist.[1] His father was Morris Siegel Seale (1896–1993), the Arabist and theologian, who was a Russian Jewish convert to Presbyterianism and Christian missionary in Syria, where Patrick spent most of his first 14 years. Seale's mother was Reine Attal, a Tunisian-Italian midwife.[3][4] Seale attended Balliol and St Antony's College, Oxford, where he specialised in Middle Eastern history.[5] He obtained his D.Litt. at Oxford University. His sister was the fashion designer Thea Porter.
Career
editHis 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.
Based in France, Seale was syndicated by Agence Global.[6] 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).
Personal life and death
editSeale married twice. First to Lamorna Heath in 1971 (died 1978) by whom he had a child, Orlando. His second wife, the writer and broadcaster Rana Kabbani, was the mother of his younger children, journalist Alexander Seale and writer and translator Yasmine Seale.[7]
Patrick Seale died aged 83 on 11 April 2014 in London from brain cancer.[7]
Works
editSeale authored numerous books,[8] 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)
- The Struggle for Arab Independence: Riad el-Solh and the Makers of the Modern Middle East (2010)
References
edit- ^ a b "Profile: Patrick Seale". The Guardian. London. 11 April 2011. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
- ^ Tim Llewellyn, Obituary: Patrick Seale Archived 7 January 2017 at the Wayback Machine, The Guardian, 13 April 2014
- ^ Llewellyn, Tim (13 April 2014). "Patrick Seale obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
- ^ Helms, Laura McLaws; Porter, Venetia (7 April 2015). Thea Porter: Bohemian Chic. Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 978-1-85177-826-3.
- ^ "Dr Patrick Seale". Syrian Center for Political & Strategic Studies. Archived from the original on 14 April 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
- ^ "Patrick Seale profile". Agence Global. Archived from the original on 10 March 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
- ^ a b Llewellyn, Tim (13 April 2014). "Patrick Seale, Syria specialist and former Observer correspondent, dies, aged 83". Observer. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
- ^ "Books by Patrick Seale". Amazon.com. Archived from the original on 23 December 2009. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
External links
edit- A candid conversation with Patrick Seale, SAST REPORT; accessed 13 April 2014
- Interview broadcast on RFI[permanent dead link], 25 July 2009; accessed 13 April 2014
- Patrick Seale at IMDb