journalist and author; former opinion editor, Die Welt
Born 1949 in London, Alan spent his childhood in Britain and Malaysia, and has lived in Germany since 1962.
As a student Alan was involved in radical politics, as a member of the Maoist KPD based in Dortmund. Later – after a short period of ‘Berufsverbot’ – he worked as a teacher in Berlin. Alan gave up teaching in 1990 and became a freelance writer, translator and rock singer.
Alan is author of about a dozen books, including Benedict’s Crusade: The Attack of the Vatican on Modern Society. He has worked for Die Welt in diverse functions, among them editor of the op-ed page, since 2000. He also writes regularly for Zeitonline and occasionally for The Guardian and is often heard on the BBC and seen on Deutsche Welle TV.
Alan has been involved with several blogs, most notably with the Achse des Guten, which threw him out several years ago. He is now a contributor to Starke Meinungen.
Follow Alan on Twitter @APosener