Janet Wallach Biography

Janet Wallach has written extensively about the Middle East. Her book, Desert Queen; The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell (1996), has been translated into twelve languages and was a New York Times notable book of the year. Her other works include Seraglio: A Novel (2003), Chanel: Her Style and Her Life (1998).

She co-authored Arafat: In the Eyes of the Beholder, a biography of Yasser Arafat; The New Palestinians, a look at the leading figures in the West Bank and Gaza; and Still Small Voices, the personal stories of ten Israelis and Palestinians during the intifada.

As a frequent contributor to The Washington Post Magazine from 1982-1987, and as a contributor to Smithsonian Magazine and other periodicals, Janet Wallach has written cover story profiles of Queen Noor of Jordan; First Lady of Egypt Jihan Sadat; Iraqi Ambassador Nizar Hamdoon; Reza Pahlavi, would-be Shah of Iran; and Saudi entrepreneur Adnan Khashoggi.

Ms. Wallach is a Woodrow Wilson Institute Visiting Fellow and has taught at Bradford College; Earlham College; Longwood College; Ohio Wesleyan University; Stetson College; St. Olaphs College; Susquehana College; and West Virginia Wesleyan College.

Janet Wallach is a founding director and president emeritus of Seeds of Peace, a non-profit organization created by her late husband John Wallach. This year-round educational and leadership training program begins by bringing outstanding teen-agers from countries in conflict to a summer camp in Maine; it continues with follow-up workshops and seminars in the region, and with conferences in the U.S. and elsewhere. More than 4000 teenagers have graduated from Seeds of Peace. The program focuses on Israelis and Arabs, and also brings together Indians and Pakistanis, and Afghans, as well as American youngsters. In October 2000 Seeds of Peace received a Unesco peace prize.

Janet Wallach was born in New York City and received a B.A. degree from New York University. She has two sons, David Allyn and Michael Wallach.

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