Qunfuz

Thanks to assistance and inspiration from Syrian activists, fighters, journalists, doctors, artists and thinkers, our book ‘Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and War‘ is published on January 20th, and launched that evening at Amnesty International in London. In the following days and weeks I’ll be speaking about the book at other venues in London, and in Nottingham, Manchester, Lancaster, Glasgow and  Edinburgh. A list of events below (and we’ll be in the US in April).

First, please read the endorsements, of which we’re very proud:

‘For decades Syrians have been forbidden from telling their own stories and the story of their country, but here Robin Yassin-Kassab and Leila al-Shami tell the Syrian story. Their words represent the devastated country which has denied them and their compatriots political representation. Burning Country is an indispensable book for those who wish to know the truth about Syria.’ – Yassin al-Haj Saleh

‘Burning Country is poised to become the definitive book not only on the continuing Syrian conflict but on the country and its society as a whole. Very few books have been written on ‘the kingdom of silence’ that effectively capture how we all got here while not omitting the human voice, the country’s heroes and heroines — a combination that is rare but essential for understanding the conflict and its complexities. Robin Yassin-Kassab and Leila Al-Shami have written a must-read book even as the conflict still rages to understand what happened, why it happened and how it should end.’ – Hassan Hassan, co-author of ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror (New York Times bestseller), Associate Fellow, Chatham House, London

‘By far the best account of the Syrian uprising yet. It is a comprehensive and nuanced analysis of a multifaceted geopolitical conflict and myriad grassroots struggles. Anyone interested in comprehending the highly convoluted situation in Syria must read this extremely sophisticated book.’ – Dr. Yasser Munif, professor of sociology at Emerson College, co-founder of the Global Campaign of Solidarity with the Syrian Revolution

‘Burning Country could have been titled “A People’s History of the Syrian Revolution and War”: it provides a view from below that constitutes the perfect antidote to geopolitical reductionism. This book is unique in its combination of first-hand material derived from fieldwork, factual and analytical rigour, and unshakable faith in the Syrian people’s struggle for justice and dignity.‘ – Thomas Pierret, Lecturer in Contemporary Islam, Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Edinburgh, and Director of the Centre for the Advanced Study of the Arab World

Now the events:

18.30 Wednesday 20th January: Amnesty International, London (in conversation with Amnesty’s Kristyan Benedict)

19.00 Thursday 21st January: Five Leaves Bookshop, Nottingham

18.30 Friday 22nd January: Rethink, Rebuild Society, Manchester (in conversation with Mustafa Alachkar)

14.00 Saturday 23rd January: the Idea Store, London (in conversation with Patrick Kingsley, with a focus on migration)

19.00 Wednesday 27th January: Mosaic Rooms, London (in conversation with Malu Halasa)

8.00 Thursday 28th January: Wall Street Journal, London. (on a panel)

13.00 Thursday 28th January: Chatham House, London (with Mina al-Oraibi)

19.00 Thursday 28th January: SOAS, London

18.30 Thursday 4th February: Word Power Books, Edinburgh

15.30 Saturday 6th February: Festival of Questions, Lancaster (with Malu Halasa, Idrees Ahmad and Simon Mabon)

17.00 26th February: Sussex Friends of Free Syria, University of Sussex

11.00 27th February: ‘Liberation in Literature’ at the Bare Lit Festival, London (not specifically a Burning Country event. Other writers including the wonderful Leila Aboulela will be there.)

17.30 27th February: ‘Understanding Syria’ at the LSE

18.00 29th February: Exeter University

19.oo 1st March: Waterstones Picadilly, London (in conversation with Wassim al-Adel of the Maysaloon blog)

10th and 11th March: Manchester University.

18th March: Edinburgh University

May: The Bradford Festival of Literature

(I’ll update as more information comes in).