Ahmad Ali El Zein (born in 1955) is a Lebanese novelist and journalist. He studied music, literature, and theatre at the Lebanese University (Beirut) and started his career as a journalist in 1978. He wrote cultural and political articles for newspapers such as Al Nida, Al Nahar, Al Safir or Al Hayat.
He was one of the founders of the left-wing radio Sawt al-Sha’b (The People’s Voice) in the 1980’s and wrote and presented many comedies and political shows. El Zein also played an active part in Lebanese television from the 1980’s, contributing to many cultural shows on Arabic literature. Since 2002 he has presented the ongoing show Al Rawafed (The enrichments) on Al Arabiya channel, interviewing Arabic writers, poets and intellectuals.
He has published eight novels, beginning with his first, Al Tayoun (The Inula’s Perfume) published in 1988. He also wrote a play, Ru’ya (Vision), that was staged at the UNESCO Castle Theatre in Beirut in 2000. El Zein’s work reflects the current political turmoil in the Middle East and its consequences on the human psyche.
