Amin Maalouf | أمين معلوف

Amin Maalouf (French: [maluf]; Arabic: أمين معلوف‎; born February 25, 1949) is an award-winning Lebanese-born French author, internationally acclaimed for his profound contributions to world literature and cross-cultural dialogue. Though Arabic is his native language, Maalouf writes primarily in French, with his works translated into more than 40 languages, reaching millions of readers across the globe.

He is best known for his Prix Goncourt-winning novel “The Rock of Tanios” (1993) and for his seminal historical work, “The Crusades Through Arab Eyes” (1983) — a groundbreaking retelling of the Crusades from an Arab perspective. In recognition of his literary excellence and cultural influence, Maalouf received the Prince of Asturias Award for Literature (2010) and was elected to the Académie Française (2011), one of the highest honors in French intellectual life.

Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Maalouf grew up in the cosmopolitan district of Badaro, shaped by his family’s diverse cultural roots — his mother was an Egyptian of Turkish origin, and his father a Melkite Catholic from Ain El Qabou near Baskinta. He attended Collège Notre Dame de Jamhour, a French Jesuit school, before earning a degree in Sociology from Université Saint-Joseph in Beirut.

Before becoming a full-time writer, Maalouf served as Director of the Beirut daily newspaper An-Nahar. The outbreak of the Lebanese Civil War in 1975 forced him to relocate to Paris, which has remained his home and creative base ever since.

Throughout his career, Amin Maalouf has bridged East and West, weaving narratives that explore identity, belonging, and civilization. Beyond his novels, he has written essays, operatic librettos, and works of non-fiction that continue to influence readers, academics, and policymakers around the world.