The Book Collectors of Daraya
Delphine Minoui
Translated by Lara Vergnaud
12 November 2020Imprint: Picador
Synopsis
‘This is an urgent and compelling account of great bravery and passion. Delphine Minoui has crafted a book that champions books and the individuals who risk everything to preserve them.’ Susan Orlean, author of The Library Book
In 2012 the rebel suburb of Daraya in Damascus was brutally besieged by Syrian government forces. Four years of suffering ensued, punctuated...
Details
12 November 2020208 pages
9781529012323Imprint: Picador
Reviews
There is something seductive about the idea of knowledge as a bulwark against brutal force, and it’s an idea that immediately resonates with Minoui . . . She makes up for the lack of on-the-ground access with an abundance of attention and empathy.Mythili Rao, Guardian
The Book Collectors of Daraya celebrates the political and therapeutic power of the written word . . . defiant and cautiously optimisticHouman Barekat, Financial Times
[An] incredible chronicle . . . The book tells the kind of story that often gets buried beneath images of violence.Corinne Segal, LitHub
Just like prisons across the region, rebel strongholds are sometimes universities in exile; witnessing the unexpected joy of learning in such circumstances is both sobering and inspiring.Lisa Anderson, Foreign Affairs
