Max Rodenbeck

Early life and education

Max Rodenbeck was born in Charlottesville, Virginia, to a British mother and American father. His family moved to Cairo when he was two years old, and he was raised between Egypt, Britain and the US. Following boarding school in Massachusetts, he studied Arabic and Islamic History at the American University in Cairo.

Writing

Journalism

Rodenbeck began covering Egypt and the Middle East as a stringer for The Economist, while also writing as a freelancer for the Financial Times, Middle East International, The Cairo Times and numerous other publications. In 2000 he was appointed Middle East Bureau Chief for The Economist, covering the region from Iran to Morocco. During his 15 years in this post he covered events ranging from the toppling of Saddam Hussein and the US occupation of Iraq, to the failed revolutions of 2009 in Iran, and the Arab Spring in 2011. Notably, Rodenbeck's reportage in 2010 correctly predicted the eruption of the Arab Spring. Since January 2016 he has been South Asia Bureau Chief for The Economist, based in Delhi.

''Cairo: The City Victorious''

Rodenbeck's historical portrait of Egypt's capital, Cairo: The City Victorious, was first published by Picador in the UK, and Alfred A. Knopf in New York, where it met wide critical acclaim. The work "traces the life of Cairo from birth...through the heights of medieval splendor, and on to the present day". In its review of the book, The Washington Post Book World described Cairo as "an enormously entertaining read... Rodenbeck's lively and affectionate portrait...veers easily between past and present, personal and historical." The book was cited as "a book to read" by the New York Review of Books, as one of the five best travel books of the year by The Sunday Times, and "the most authoritative and entertaining read on the convoluted and picturesque 1000-year history of the Egyptian capital” by Lonely Planet.Cairo: The City Victorious has since been translated into eight languages.

Media appearances and fellowships

Rodenbeck has been interviewed on Charlie Rose, with Christiane Amanpour on CNN, on National Public Radio (NPR), The Wire (India), as well as The Economist Radio, and podcasts such as The Arabist. Rodenbeck has also been a regular panelist at the annual Jaipur Literary Festival in Rajasthan, India, and was a visiting fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington DC in 2015.

References

References

1. "Max Rodenbeck".
2. (31 January 2014). "'Economist' Writer to Discuss Transition in Middle East | University of Central Florida News".
3. "A Mighty Wind".
4. (25 June 2010). "The Muslim Past". The New York Times.
5. "The Day After: Egypt". Foreign Policy Magazine.
6. "Profile of John Rodenbeck, Ahram Weekly". Ahram Weekly.
7. "The Much More Eternal City".
8. "Max Rodenbeck".
9. "The Economist Media Directory". The Economist Group.
10. (3 July 2003). "Bohemia in Baghdad". The New York Review of Books.
11. (18 June 2009). ""Demanding to be counted: An apparently rigged election is shaking the fragile pillars on which the Iranian republic rests"". The Economist.
12. (17 July 2010). "The long wait". The Economist.
13. "Holding its Breath: a special report on Egypt". The Economist.
14. "Cairo: The City Victorious, AUC Press". American University in Cairo Press.
15. "Cairo by Max Rodenbeck: 9780679767275 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books".
16. "The Much More Eternal City". The New York Review of Books.
17. "Journalist Max Rodenbeck of The Economist phones in from Cairo to report on the continued protests in Egypt's Tahrir Square in light of the recent election". Charlie Rose Program.
18. "Egyptian Vote -- CNN Transcript". CNN.
19. "Money Flows Into Egypt, But Where Does It Come From? Renee Montagne talks to Max Rodenbeck, Middle East correspondent for The Economist". NPR.
20. "India's Kashmir Decision: What are Its Repercussions for India's International Image? Dr. Happymon Jacob speaks to Max Rodenbeck (South Asia Bureau Chief of the Economist) about the international reactions to the situation in Jammu & Kashmir". The Wire.
21. "Max Rodenbeck on Iran". The Arabist.
22. "Wilson Center Profile: Max Rodenbeck". Woodrow Wilson Center.