David Balderstone

Since first living in Egypt in 1970, David Balderstone has been fascinated with the Middle East. He arrived in Cairo just weeks before the death of President Nasser, and was in the city again when President Sadat was assassinated in 1981. Although living in Australia, he’s regularly drawn back to the area. In a sense, he lives the saying that anyone who drinks the waters of the Nile always returns.

David Balderstone has lived & worked as a writer, journalist & broadcaster in Australia, Britain, the Middle East, and The Philippines. Born in Melbourne, Australia, he has worked as a journalist for The Age (Melbourne), The Times (London), and Radio Australia. He was The Age’s Middle East correspondent from 1977 to 1983. During this time, he covered the fall of the Shah of Iran, the Iran/Iraq war from both front lines, the civil war in Lebanon, and Middle East peace moves (including the 1977 visit to Jerusalem of President Sadat of Egypt) and setbacks. This period included a rare interview with Ali Khamenei, who later took over as Supreme Leader of Iran following the death of Ayatollah Khomeini, and other Middle East leaders. Although based in Australia, he spends several months a year in Cyprus. “It’s now officially part of the European Union, but in 1970 Cyprus was included in many Middle East travel guides,” he notes. His experience in the area provides the characters and locations of his writing.