Question: What year was the author of Samarkand born?

Context paragraphs:
Andrew Branham: Andrew Christopher Branham (born October 27, 1975) is an American author and business executive who resides in Jackson, Michigan.  He was born in Lorain, Ohio and graduated from Bowling Green State University.  He is the author of both fiction and non-fiction with his first memoir debuting in 2015 and his first fiction book in 2016.  In 2015, after enduring a terrifying same-sex adoption with his long-time partner, he released his first book entitled, "Anything for Amelia."  The book detailed their 206-day journey through what many called one of the most difficult adoptions in the United States.  The book received a warm reception and was featured on many websites, blogs, and talk shows.  The book has been credited as being one of the first to highlight many flaws in the U.S. adoption system.  In 2016, after a year of writing, Andrew released his first fiction book called, "Parched."  The post-apocalyptic and dystopian novel was inspired by the extreme drought conditions that occurred while the family resided in Livermore, California.  Andrew wanted to create a story that opened up discussion about climate change in a mainstream novel.  "Parched" received rave reviews on many top websites and received a glowing review by "Kirkus Reviews."  In May 2016, "Parched" became a top 10 best seller in the post-apocalyptic category on several major book sellers.  In addition to publishing two novels, he has also contributed to many websites, newspapers, and publications.  He is married to his long-time partner, David and the couple has a young daughter.  Together the family resides on a 40 acre ranch in Blackman township in Jackson County, Michigan.

Zulmir Bečević: Zulmir Bečević, (born 31 January 1982) is a Swedish-Bosnian author.  In 1992 he and his family fled to Sweden, an event that laid the foundation for the semi-biographical debut novel "Resan som började med ett slut".  Bečević made his novel debut in 2006 and the critics called his novel one of the best youth-novels for several years.  The book was also nominated for the Slangbellan-award for best youth-subject debut book for that year.  Earlier Bečević has studied political science and peace and conflict knowledge.  In 2006 he took his master's degree in political science.  His second novel book "Svenhammeds journaler" was published in 2009 and was the same year nominated for the August award in the kids and youth category.  The book has been translated into Danish and Norwegian as well as being put up on stage at Folkteatern in Gävleborg.  Besides being an author he is also a doctorand at Linköpings University.

Amin Maalouf: Amin Maalouf (Arabic: أمين معلوف‎ ‎ ; born 25 February 1949) is an award-winning Lebanese-born French author who has lived in France since 1976.  Although his native language is Arabic, he writes in French, and his works have been translated into over 40 languages.  He received the Prix Goncourt in 1993 for his novel "The Rock of Tanios" as well as the 2010 Prince of Asturias Award for Literature.  He is a member of the Académie française.

Bismarck Myrick: Bismarck Myrick (born December 23, 1940) is a former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Liberia (1999–2002) and Lesotho (1995–1998).  He is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service and a decorated Vietnam War hero.  He represented the U.S. at the swearing in of South Africa’s first democratic parliament, led by Nelson Mandela.  The Kingdom of Lesotho conferred on him the Kingdom's highest honor to a non-citizen.  Liberia’s major newspapers and civil society organizations named him “Diplomat of the Year” or “Man of the Year” for three consecutive years.  The City Council appointed him Goodwill Ambassador for Goree Island, Senegal in 2008.  He was Political Officer in Liberia during the government of Samuel Doe.  He completed study projects in southern and western Africa every other year:2006-2012.  He graduated from the University of Tampa with honors and earned an M.A. degree from Syracuse University.  Spelman College awarded him a Doctor of Humane Letters degree.  Dr. Myrick is co-author of Three Aspects of Crisis in Colonial Kenya ; author of “The United States and Liberia” in The African Experience: Past, Present, and Future and author of scores of official documents.  Portsmouth, VA named two streets in his honor in 2001 and selected him as a 2006 “Portsmouth Notable” – the city’s highest honor.  He is featured in the March, 2013 edition of “The Citizen of Chesapeake” Newspaper.  Active in community service, he is on a number of boards, such as the World Affairs Council.

Samarkand (novel): Samarkand (French: Samarcande ) is a 1988 historical fiction novel by the French-Lebanese writer Amin Maalouf.  The narrative revolves the 11th-century Persian poet Omar Khayyám and his poetry collection "Rubaiyat".  The novel received the Prix Maison de la Presse.

Neelakantha (Hindu astrologer): Neelakantha, the 16th century author of Tajika Neelakanthi and Prasna Tantra, and the son of Anantadeva, hailed from Kashmir; his brother, Ramchandra, wrote "Muhurta Chintamani", the famous treatise on Electional Astrology.  Neelakantha was the court astrologer of the Moghul Emperor, Jalaluddin Akbar.  According to Deepak Kapoor, Neelakantha was born in the year 1556 The Tajika system of prognostication depends on the Varshaphala, Neelakantha wrote his famous book on Varshaphala, Tajika Neelakanthi, in the year 1587.  However, B V Raman in the introduction to Prasna Tantra states that in the last part of his Varshatantra (of Tajika Neelakanthi), Neelakantha records that he composed this book on the eighth day of the bright half of Aswija of Saka year 1509 which means 1567 AD.  There is also evidence that he hailed from Vidarbha and that he was 43 or 44 years old when he wrote this book.

Irene Vilar: Irene Vilar (born c. 1969) is an American editor, literary agent and author of several books dealing with national and generational trauma and women's reproductive rights.  Born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, Vilar is the granddaughter of Puerto Rican nationalist Lolita Lebrón, who participated in an assault on the United States House of Representatives in 1954.  Her work "" was a Philadelphia Inquirer and Detroit Free Press notable book of the year, a finalist for the Mind Book of the Year Award and the Latino Book Award.  Her memoir, "Impossible Motherhood: Testimony of an Abortion Addict", revealed that the author had 15 abortions in 17 years.  Vilar received death threats after its publication.

Benyamin Cohen: Benyamin Cohen (born 1975) was the founder and editor of both Jewsweek and American Jewish Life Magazine He is the author of the memoir "My Jesus Year: A Rabbi's Son Wanders the Bible Belt in Search of His Own Faith".  Publisher's Weekly named it one of the best books of the year, and Cohen received the Georgia Author of the Year Award.  He was the founder and editor of the award-winning national magazine American Jewish Life and the online magazine Jewsweek, and he has written for the Huffington Post, the Daily Beast, the Washington Post, and Slate.  Prior to that he edited Torah from Dixie, thoughts on the weekly Bible portion, which was later turned into a book by the same name.  He is now the content director for the Mother Nature Network, a science and environmental news website.

Lloyd Kropp: Lloyd Edward Kropp (born July 16, 1937) is an American novelist, composer, and educator.  Kropp achieved popular acclaim after the publication of his third and fourth novels "One Hundred Times to China" and "Greencastle".  "Greencastle" was nominated for a Penn/Faulkner Award and was named to one of the American Library Association's "Best Books of the Year" lists in 1985.  For this novel the author received the "Illinois Author of the Year" award from the Illinois Association of Teachers of English (IATE).  His books have been favorably reviewed in many journals and newspapers in the United States, Great Britain, and Spain.

Jerry Kaplan: Samuel Jerrold "Jerry" Kaplan (born March 25, 1952) is an American computer scientist, author, futurist, and serial entrepreneur.  He is best known as a pioneer in the field of pen computing and tablet computers.  He is the founder of numerous companies, including GO Corporation, whose technology was used to develop the first smartphone and tablet PC.  Kaplan is the co-founder of OnSale, the first B2C online auction site launched in 1994, five months prior to eBay.  He is a recipient of the 1998 Ernst & Young Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year Award and author of the best-selling book "Startup: A Silicon Valley Adventure."  He has been featured in major news publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Red Herring, and Bloomberg Businessweek.  Kaplan is also the author of the 2015 book "Humans Need Not Apply: A Guide to Wealth and Work in the Age of Artificial Intelligence".  Additional companies he has co-founded include artificial intelligence company Teknowledge, Inc. and social game website Winster.com.  Kaplan is currently a Fellow at the Stanford Center for Legal Informatics.

Supporting paragraphs: Samarkand (novel) Amin Maalouf
Answer: 1949