Steven Vincent American journalist and writer Date of Birth: 31.12.1955 Country: USA

Biography of Steven Vincent

Steven Vincent (full name - Steven Charles Vincent) was born in 1955 in Washington, DC. As a child, he moved with his parents to California, where he lived in Palo Alto and then Sunnyvale, right in the heart of Silicon Valley. In 1974, Steven graduated from Homestead High School and enrolled at the University of California at Santa Barbara. After a couple of years, he transferred to the Berkeley campus of the university, where he earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and English language.

After finishing college, Steven embarked on a journey to Europe and then hitchhiked from California to New York, hoping to start his writing career. However, it was not easy, and he spent the early years working in small restaurants, driving taxis, and doing odd jobs.

It wasn't until the mid-1980s that Steven was offered a position as an editor and journalist at 'The East Villager' newspaper. In just a few years, the newspaper, which few believed in, became one of the leading publications in the city. Steven himself had changed as well: wiser but still passionate, he could easily influence public opinion with his articles and investigations. However, 'The East Villager' was not what Steven aspired to. In the late 1980s, he began publishing stories and essays in various news booklets and received the 'Dactyl Foundation Award' for one of his publications titled 'Listening to Pop'.

In 1990, fate brought Steven to 'Art+Auction' magazine, and his collaboration with the magazine lasted almost until his death. He quickly became one of the most respected authors in the magazine, and his art articles were considered nearly perfect by the editors. However, Steven did not share the same sentiment and felt that sitting in an office and writing about stolen paintings was not his calling. After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, he decided to return to his roots and write about art.

It was evident that Steven wanted people to forget about him, but the reason behind this desire remained unknown. In 2003, he visited Iraq with a friend, and in 2004, he returned alone, freely moving around the country, talking to locals with just his camera and a barely working phone. In 2004, his book 'In the Red Zone: A Journey Into the Soul of Iraq' was published, quickly becoming popular not only in America but also in Europe.

Steven also started a blog on the internet called 'In the Red Zone'. He visited the United States a few times to see his family but always left again. This was the case in 2005 as well, except it was his last visit to the United States during his lifetime.

As usual, he traveled through the country, gathering information for new articles, but this time, he chose to explore the dangerous southern region of Iraq. On August 2, 2005, after three months of being in Iraq, Steven and his translator were approached by men posing as policemen, who invited them to the police station. Unbeknownst to them, they were actually terrorists. Steven was tortured for several hours, presumably in an attempt to obtain information. Later that evening, his lifeless body was found on the outskirts of Basra. His translator was luckier, as none of the three bullets hit any vital organs.

The motive for his murder remains unclear, as Steven never criticized any particular group in his articles. His body was transported back to America and buried at Green-Wood cemetery. In 2006, he was posthumously awarded the 'Kurt Schork Award for International Journalism', with his articles being described as 'the most poignant stories'.