About

My interests as a writer focus on the Middle East and Mediterranean regions, and the interactions between East and West. As a storyteller, I am primarily interested in bringing forgotten narratives, particularly those of women, into the public eye.

In my work as a writer - across fiction, history and journalism - I aim to combine literary sensitivity with rigorous research to offer my readers thoughtful and accurate glimpses of key events that shape the lives of characters, and the world we live in.

I was born and raised in London but now divide my time between Paris and London. I hold MA degrees in literature and history from Oxford University and UCL. When I am not writing, I consult and write on Middle Eastern topics for various UN agencies, and look after rescue dogs.

In brief

Katherine Pangonis is a historian specialising in the medieval world of the Mediterranean and Middle East. She holds MA degrees in literature and history from Oxford University and University College London. Her first book, Queens of Jerusalem: The Women Who Dared to Rule, was published in 2021 by Weidenfeld & Nicolson. Her second book, Twilight Cities: Lost Capitals of the Mediterranean, was published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson on 6 July 2023.