Karl Maier (journalist)

Karl Maier (born 1957) is an American journalist and author known for his work, This House Has Fallen (2000). Karl worked as a correspondent in Africa serving The Independent, a British newspaper. His works have appeared on The Economist and The Washington Post He currently works at Bloomberg News where he edits the Balance of Power newsletter.

He is the author of Angola: Promises and Lies, Into the House of the Ancestors and This House Has Fallen

Biography
Maier was born in Louisville, Kentucky. In 1986, he became a correspondent for Africa serving The Independent. His research as a journalist had him travel and explore the African continent until 1996. He went to Nigeria and Angola, where he wrote This House Has Fallen and Angola: Promises and Lies, respectively.

Angola: Promises and Lies
His works were written during the war including Angola civil war and Nigerian civil war. Karl had said he wrote his novel, Angola: Promises and Lies during the war which in a review by Publishers Weekly wrote "..engrossing chronological account of the war, and noted that in a [compelling narrative]." Thornycroft also called it "A luminously accurate [gem of war]."

Into the House of the Ancestors: Inside the New Africa
Karl wrote his third book. Sarah Penny, she praised the book saying,"...The Author takes a more hopeful look at Africa as a whole. His [optimism for Africa] greatly constitutes the philosophical theme and heart of the book." Writing for The New York Times Book Review, Howard W. French said, "Maier's work in into the House of Ancestors seeks neither to sanitize the image of Sub Saharan Africa nor to soft-pedal its problems." In a review by Foreign Affairs, Gail M. Gerhart wrote, "...show that there is plenty of virtue among ordinary Africans, particularly when they draw on the strength of traditional values." "Maier's work confirms that people in Africa face considerable obstacles, including civil wars, famine, disease, and political disorder. However, Maier gives us hope that they can rebound and even thrive."Ruth K. Baacke wrote in a review for Library Journal.

This House Has Fallen
Bloomberg Businessweek praised Maier's work writing, "...the absorbing, heartbreaking story of Nigeria from its creation in 1960 through forty years of failure and disappointment to a time of renewal—apparent renewal, we had better say." Chris King writing for The New York Times Book Review said Karl had always explored theme of Nigeria literature and history. He also said his works were based on [Nigerians from the upper classes]. Richard Dowden writing in Economist wrote, "Maier's observation is meticulous, and his heart sympathetic. By skillfully blending anecdote, travel, and history, his book throbs with the Nigerians' huge humanity and their hopes, anger and joy. This House Has Fallen is an [eminently readable] offering for anyone who wants to get behind the tragic headlines and understand the vital heart of West Africa."

Selected works

 * Angola: Promises and Lies (1996)
 * Into the House of the Ancestors (1998)
 * This House Has Fallen: Nigeria In Crisis (2000)
 * Die Kaskoversicherung (1998)
 * Die Anfänge der Polizei- und Landesgesetzgebung in der Markgrafschaft Baden (1984)
 * Conspicuous Destruction: War, Famine, and the Reform Process in Mozambique (With Kemal Mustafa and Alex Vines); Africa Watch, New York (1992)