. ▁ ▁Just ▁after ▁May ▁ 6 8 , ▁he ▁travel led ▁to ▁Kab ul ▁and ▁P esh aw ar ; ▁on ▁his ▁return ▁to ▁France ▁he ▁began ▁to ▁work ▁in ▁fact ories , ▁carrying ▁out ▁various ▁tasks ▁before ▁finally ▁sett ling ▁in ▁Paris . ▁▁ ▁Life ▁as ▁a ▁journalist ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 7 5 , ▁he ▁published ▁his ▁first ▁article ▁in ▁the ▁French ▁daily ▁newspaper ▁Lib ération ▁where ▁he ▁had ▁begun ▁working ▁as ▁a ▁sports ▁journalist , ▁thus ▁discover ing ▁a ▁world ▁that ▁he ▁found ▁rom antic ▁and ▁about ▁which ▁he ▁had ▁the ▁pleasure ▁of ▁telling ▁comp elling ▁stories . ▁He ▁initi ated ▁himself ▁too , ▁in ▁writing ▁stories ▁that ▁were ▁split ▁into ▁episodes ▁and ▁published ▁daily . ▁Finally , ▁he ▁became ▁a ▁rep orter ▁in ▁different ▁fields , ▁reporting ▁on ▁a ▁variety ▁of ▁news ▁items , ▁for ▁the ▁most ▁part ▁abroad , ▁in ▁countries ▁such ▁as ▁Israel , ▁Palest ine , ▁Poland , ▁Rum ania ▁and ▁all ▁over ▁Eastern ▁Europe , ▁both ▁during ▁and ▁after ▁social ism . ▁ ▁His ▁first ▁trip ▁to ▁Be ir ut ▁immediately ▁decided ▁his ▁voc ation ▁of ▁becoming ▁a ▁war ▁correspond ent . ▁Over ▁a ▁period ▁of ▁twenty - two ▁years , ▁he ▁has ▁covered ▁many ▁wars , ▁those ▁of ▁Africa ▁and ▁the ▁Middle ▁East , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁the ▁Cro at ian ▁and ▁Bos n ian ▁war , ▁this ▁last ▁one ▁being ▁the ▁background ▁for ▁his ▁book , ▁L ’ A ir ▁de ▁la ▁guerre , ▁written ▁while ▁he ▁was ▁imm obil ised