Samir El-Youssef is Palestinian, born in Rashidia (a Lebanese refugee camp), and is a widely respected Middle East peace activist. His first book, Gaza Blues, was co-authored with the Israeli author Etgar Keret. His writing has appeared in the Guardian, New Statesman, and The Washington Post. In 2005, he won the Swedish PEN Tucholsky Award for promoting peace and freedom of speech in the Middle East. He lives in London.