Simon Akam is a British journalist and historian of the British Army.
Simon Akam | |
|---|---|
| Born | Cambridge, England |
| Occupation | Journalist, writer |
| Alma mater | Worcester College, Oxford |
Early life edit
Akam was born in Cambridge and educated at The Perse School, the University of Oxford, and Columbia University.[1] During his gap year in 2003, he served a short service limited commission as a second lieutenant in the British Army.[2]
Published works edit
Akam has written for a number of publications including The Guardian, The New York Times, Reuters, The Economist, GQ, and The Atlantic.[3]
The Changing of the Guard edit
In 2015, Akam was commissioned by Penguin Random House imprint William Heinemann to write a book on the British Army. Amid controversy, the book deal was later cancelled, and the resulting book was instead published by Scribe Publications in 2021.[4] The book's eventual publication provoked debate, with Anthony Loyd writing in the New Statesman that the book 'exposes the failures of the British army'.[5]
Awards and honours edit
In 2021, Akam was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize.[6]
In 2021, Akam and Natasha Loder jointly won a Feature of the Year prize from the Medical Journalists’ Association.[7]
Works edit
- The Changing of the Guard: The British Army Since 9/11 (2021)
Notes edit
- ^ "Simon Akam". Penguin Books. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
- ^ "Simon Akam". The Atlantic. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
- ^ "Simon Akam". Scribe Publications. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
- ^ "'A terrifying precedent': author describes struggle to publish British army history". The Guardian. 23 July 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
- ^ "Simon Akam's The Changing of the Guard exposes the failures of the British army". New Statesman. 3 March 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
- ^ "2021 EXPOSING BRITAIN'S SOCIAL EVILS prize short list". The Orwell Foundation. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
- ^ "Award: Natasha Loder and Simon Akam". The Economist. October 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
External links edit
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