Milton Viorst facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Milton Viorst
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Viorst in 2007
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| Born | February 18, 1930 Paterson, New Jersey, U.S.
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| Died | December 9, 2022 (aged 92) Washington, D.C., U.S.
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| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Rutgers University Harvard University Columbia University |
| Occupation | Journalist, writer |
| Spouse(s) | Judith Viorst |
| Children | 3 |
Milton Viorst was an American journalist and writer. He was born on February 18, 1930, and passed away on December 9, 2022. He often wrote about the Middle East. His articles appeared in many well-known publications, especially The New Yorker magazine. Over his career, he wrote ten books.
Contents
About Milton Viorst
Milton Viorst studied history at Rutgers University. In 1951, he received a special scholarship called a Fulbright scholarship. This allowed him to study in France. Later, he went to Harvard University and Columbia University. He finished his journalism studies in 1956.
His Career in Journalism
From 1956 to 1993, Viorst wrote for many different magazines and newspapers. These included The New Yorker, Foreign Affairs, Harper's Magazine, The Atlantic, The New York Times Magazine, and The Washington Post.
In 1968, he joined a group of writers and editors. They signed a pledge to refuse to pay certain taxes. This was a way to protest against the Vietnam War. Because of his writings and views, his name appeared on a list of people who were seen as political opponents by President Nixon's administration.
Focus on the Middle East
In 1979, Milton Viorst won an Alicia Patterson Journalism Fellowship. This award helped him research and write about important ideas in the Middle East. He studied Zionism and Islamic ideas, and how they related to the Middle East crisis.
In the early 1980s, he became very interested in the Middle East. He became an expert in this area. He wrote six books about the region, including one called In the Shadow of The Prophet.
A Controversial Article
On October 5, 1988, Viorst wrote an opinion piece in The Washington Post. In this article, he questioned whether Saddam Hussein's government had used chemical weapons. This was during a terrible event where many Kurdish people in Iraq were killed.
A month before Viorst's article, the U.S. Secretary of State, George P. Shultz, had confirmed that poison gas was used. Thousands of people, including children, had died. However, Viorst suggested that these events "may never have taken place." He also argued against a law that aimed to prevent genocide. This law later failed to pass. The attacks on the Kurds led to up to 100,000 deaths. Viorst's article was later criticized for being misleading in a book called A Problem from Hell.
Later Works and Family Life
In April 2016, Viorst published a book called Zionism: The Birth and Transformation of an Ideal. It was published by St. Martin's Press.
Milton Viorst was married to Judith Viorst. She is a famous children's author, known for books like Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. They had three sons together. Milton Viorst passed away in Washington, D.C., when he was 92 years old.
