Ómar El Akkad is a highly accomplished author and journalist, with a diverse background that has informed his unique perspective. Born in Cairo, Egypt, and raised in Doha, Qatar, El Akkad moved to Canada as a teenager. This global upbringing has given him a firsthand understanding of many of the complex issues that shape today's society.
El Akkad's journalism career began at the start of the war on terror, and he has since reported from numerous challenging locations around the world. These include Afghanistan, Guantánamo Bay, the NATO-led war in Afghanistan, the Arab Spring revolution in Egypt, and the Black Lives Matter movement in Ferguson, Missouri. His work has been recognized with a National Newspaper Award for Investigative Journalism and the Goff Penny Award for young journalists, among other accolades.
In addition to his journalism, El Akkad is also an accomplished fiction writer. His debut novel, American War, is an international bestseller that has been translated into thirteen languages. The book, which explores the consequences of climate change and societal collapse in the United States, has won numerous awards, including the Pacific Northwest Booksellers’ Award, the Oregon Book Award for fiction, and the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize. It has also been nominated for more than ten other awards and was listed as one of the best books of the year by The New York Times, Washington Post, GQ, NPR, and Esquire, among others.
El Akkad's short story "Government Slots" was selected for the Best Canadian Stories 2020 anthology. His new novel is forthcoming from Knopf. He is a graduate of Queen's University and now lives with his wife in the woods just south of Portland, Oregon.