Help me learn about the Syrian culture through narrative books
June 21, 2019 6:19 PM Subscribe
I would like to learn more about Syrian culture as well as the Syrian war
I would like to learn more about Syrian culture as well as the Syrian war due to wanting to better understand a close friend's experiences. I am not looking for political analysis. I am looking for longform books, either fiction or non fiction that can help me understand what it might be like to live through a civil war and/or have to leave your home and family due to war.
I will not remember details and dates so I am solely looking for longform books that involve personal experiences and narratives which are woven into the historical context. I also want to read fascinating and gripping books. The book can be written either by foreign journalists reporting on what they've seen or by those who have experienced this first hand.
I would like to learn more about Syrian culture as well as the Syrian war due to wanting to better understand a close friend's experiences. I am not looking for political analysis. I am looking for longform books, either fiction or non fiction that can help me understand what it might be like to live through a civil war and/or have to leave your home and family due to war.
I will not remember details and dates so I am solely looking for longform books that involve personal experiences and narratives which are woven into the historical context. I also want to read fascinating and gripping books. The book can be written either by foreign journalists reporting on what they've seen or by those who have experienced this first hand.
We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled by Wendy Pearlman sounds like it might be close to what you're looking for (though it's more focused on the war experience).
posted by carrienation at 9:32 PM on June 21, 2019
posted by carrienation at 9:32 PM on June 21, 2019
Just published Assad or We Burn the Country: How One Family's Lust for Power Destroyed Syria sounds like it will be really interesting.
posted by sammyo at 9:33 PM on June 21, 2019
posted by sammyo at 9:33 PM on June 21, 2019
I haven't read this book yet, but the guy whose story is told in The Last Sanctuary In Aleppo has had an amazing life as an ambulance driver, friend of children, and animal rescuer. (I know about him because I follow his cat rescue group on Facebook.)
The Tale of The Flower-Seller is a truly amazing if depressing six-minute video about a man selling plants in wartime Aleppo.
posted by hungrytiger at 2:25 AM on June 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
The Tale of The Flower-Seller is a truly amazing if depressing six-minute video about a man selling plants in wartime Aleppo.
posted by hungrytiger at 2:25 AM on June 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
I think the anthology Syria Speaks: Art and Culture from the Frontline (Saqi, 2014) is what you are looking for.
Jonathan Littell's Syrian Notebooks: Inside the Homs Uprising, January 16–February 2, 2012 (Verso, 2014) is also insightful.
posted by Ahmad Khani at 12:03 PM on June 22, 2019
Jonathan Littell's Syrian Notebooks: Inside the Homs Uprising, January 16–February 2, 2012 (Verso, 2014) is also insightful.
posted by Ahmad Khani at 12:03 PM on June 22, 2019
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posted by pinochiette at 7:00 PM on June 21, 2019 [1 favorite]