Simon Akam Explained

Simon Akam
Birth Place:	Cambridge, England
Occupation:	Journalist, writer
Alma Mater:	Worcester College, Oxford

Simon Akam is a British journalist and historian of the British Army.

Early life

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

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

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

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

• The Changing of the Guard: The British Army Since 9/11 (2021)

External links

• Simon Akam's website

Notes and References

1. Web site: Simon Akam. 1 December 2021. Penguin Books.
2. Web site: Simon Akam. 1 December 2021. The Atlantic.
3. Web site: Simon Akam. 1 December 2021. Scribe Publications.
4. Web site: 'A terrifying precedent': author describes struggle to publish British army history. 1 December 2021. The Guardian. 23 July 2021.
5. Web site: Simon Akam's The Changing of the Guard exposes the failures of the British army. 1 December 2021. New Statesman. 3 March 2021.
6. Web site: 2021 EXPOSING BRITAIN'S SOCIAL EVILS prize short list. 1 December 2021. The Orwell Foundation.
7. News: Award: Natasha Loder and Simon Akam. 1 December 2021. The Economist. October 2021.