Set against the backdrop of the ongoing Syrian civil war and the resulting refugee crisis, Wild Poppies is the story of two brothers, Omar and Sufyan. As the novel opens, they, along with their mother and younger sister, have been displaced to their aunt's home in a village named Al-Nuaman, or "the poppy flower." Their … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Wild Poppies
Today I am ceding editing rights to my friend and colleague Betsy Bird, an award winning children's author and librarian... Children’s books are written years in advance of their publication dates. A book being written at this very moment may take anywhere between two to five years to reach library and bookstore shelves. As such, … Continue reading Hope and Hardship: The Picture Book As Exile Narrative
The Dot by Gulnar Hajo was originally published in Arabic by Bright Fingers Publishing House in Syria. The English translation by literary translator Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp is available through Darf Children’s Books, an independent children’s publisher based in the UK. The Dot opens, appropriately enough, with a dot, a mere speck in the big broad universe. This … Continue reading The Dot
Reviewed by Professor Mahmoud Zain al-Abidin Two years ago, The Battle for Home : Memoir of a Syrian Architect was released in the English language by Thames & Hudson publishers in London. The writer, Syrian architect Marwa al-Sabouni, shared in her book illustrations for the architectural buildings in her city, Homs, the third largest city … Continue reading The Battle for Home: The Memoir of a Syrian Architect
By Nuri al-Khalaf Editor of Syrian Literature Month for Global Literature in Libraries I remember – one day – that I delivered a long speech introducing and praising the Syrian culture and literature to a big crowd of students. Once I finished my speech one of my professors said to me: “Dear Nuri, you talked a … Continue reading Syrian Literature: Between Curses of the Past and Challenges of the Present
Dina Mousawi and Itab Azzam have created something to treasure: a practical recipe book that allows us to create at home some of the most delicious cuisine in the whole Mediterranean region, interwoven with the profoundly moving stories of the women who have taught them the recipes, all served up with wide variety of memories … Continue reading Syria: Recipes from Home
This stunning work of art is a four-year labour of love by an artist who has clearly drawn on an enormous range of personal sources and media to populate and complicate his rich and compelling graphic novel. Freedom Hospital doesn’t claim to be comprehensive, or objective, or a documentary — but nor does it claim … Continue reading Freedom Hospital
This unique picture book was inspired by the stone artwork of Syrian artist Nizar Ali Badr, discovered by chance by Canadian children’s writer Margriet Ruurs. The author was immediately impressed by the strong narrative quality of Mr. Badr’s work, and, using many of Mr. Badr’s already-created pieces, she set out to create a story … Continue reading Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family’s Journey
Hasan al-Nifi's photo “A Flower from my Country” by Hasan al-Nifi Oh, flower It has lost her dew suddenly The heart’s tears flowed into its vein She scavenges from soil pain and sips Embers of catastrophe from the silt of its depths Her roots’ pulse has watered the earth’s wounds Its tenderness … Continue reading Ports of Soul
Haitham Hussein‘s latest novel, A Weed in Paradise (July 2017 Masciliana Editions), traces the footprints of the Kurds who fled their towns and villages in the north of Syria for the suburbs of the capital Damascus after the 2004 Qamishli uprising, which resulted in dozens of dead and thousands in prison: The novel, narrated by a marginalized woman, follows … Continue reading A Weed in Paradise
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 