Dexter Filkins
Encyclopedia
Dexter Price Filkins is an American
journalist known primarily for his coverage of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
for The New York Times
. He was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize
in 2002 for his dispatches from Afghanistan, and he won a Pulitzer Prize in 2009 as part of a team of New York Times reporters for their dispatches from Pakistan and Afghanistan. He has been referred to as "the premier combat journalist
of his generation". He currently writes for The New Yorker
.
Filkins' book, The Forever War, is about his experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq. It was published September 16, 2008 and was a New York Times best-seller. The Forever War won the National Book Critics Circle Award
for best non-fiction book of 2008, and was named one of the best nonfiction books of the year by among others The New York Times, Amazon.com
, the Washington Post
, Time Magazine and the Boston Globe
.
Prior to joining The New York Times in September 2000, Filkins was New Delhi
bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times
for three years. He reported from the New York Times’ Baghdad bureau in Iraq
from 2003 to 2006.
Filkins received the 2004 George Polk Award
for War Reporting given annually by Long Island University
to honor contributions to journalistic integrity and investigative reporting. He was cited for his reports from the assault on Fallujah, Iraq, in November 2004, when the company he travelled with lost a quarter of its men in eight days.
In 2006–07, Filkins was at Harvard University
on a Nieman Fellowship
; and in 2007-2008, he was a fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy
at the Harvard Kennedy School.
In 2010, his reporting in The New York Times from Afghanistan and Iraq, along with that of the photographer Tyler Hicks and the reporter C.J. Chivers, was selected by New York University
as one of the Top Ten Works of Journalism of the Decade.
Filkins joined The New Yorker
in December 2010.
in 1983 and an M. Phil in International Relations from Oxford University
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
journalist known primarily for his coverage of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. He was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
in 2002 for his dispatches from Afghanistan, and he won a Pulitzer Prize in 2009 as part of a team of New York Times reporters for their dispatches from Pakistan and Afghanistan. He has been referred to as "the premier combat journalist
War correspondent
A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories firsthand from a war zone. In the 19th century they were also called Special Correspondents.-Methods:...
of his generation". He currently writes for The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
.
Filkins' book, The Forever War, is about his experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq. It was published September 16, 2008 and was a New York Times best-seller. The Forever War won the National Book Critics Circle Award
National Book Critics Circle Award
The National Book Critics Circle Award is an annual award given by the National Book Critics Circle to promote the finest books and reviews published in English....
for best non-fiction book of 2008, and was named one of the best nonfiction books of the year by among others The New York Times, Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
, the Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, Time Magazine and the Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
.
Prior to joining The New York Times in September 2000, Filkins was New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
for three years. He reported from the New York Times’ Baghdad bureau in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
from 2003 to 2006.
Filkins received the 2004 George Polk Award
George Polk Awards
The George Polk Awards in Journalism are a series of American journalism awards presented annually by Long Island University in New York in the United States.-History:...
for War Reporting given annually by Long Island University
Long Island University
Long Island University is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian institution of higher education in the U.S. state of New York.-History:...
to honor contributions to journalistic integrity and investigative reporting. He was cited for his reports from the assault on Fallujah, Iraq, in November 2004, when the company he travelled with lost a quarter of its men in eight days.
In 2006–07, Filkins was at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
on a Nieman Fellowship
Nieman Fellowship
The Nieman Fellowship is an award given to mid-career journalists by The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University. This award allows winners time to reflect on their careers and focus on honing their skills....
; and in 2007-2008, he was a fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy
Carr Center for Human Rights Policy
The Carr Center for Human Rights Policy is research center concerned with human rights, and is located at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University....
at the Harvard Kennedy School.
In 2010, his reporting in The New York Times from Afghanistan and Iraq, along with that of the photographer Tyler Hicks and the reporter C.J. Chivers, was selected by New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
as one of the Top Ten Works of Journalism of the Decade.
Filkins joined The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
in December 2010.
Personal
Filkins received a B.A. in political science from the University of FloridaUniversity of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in 1983 and an M. Phil in International Relations from Oxford University
External links
- In-depth profile of Ahmad Chalabi by Filkins New York Times
- My Long War Published: August 22, 2008 by Dexter Filkins for The New York Times Magazine
- long Q&A with the Washington Post's Express about "The Forever War"
- Authors@Google YouTube video, 1 hour talk with Dexter Filkins, Sept. 24, 2008