Book of Damascus London Launch

About the event

Join us for an evening of storytelling, writing, and critical thinking from Syria, in association with Comma Press.

Book Launch: The Book of Damascus

Edited by Zaher Omareen

Damascus is a city of contradictions. Simultaneously the oldest city in the world, rich with Roman, Byzantine and early Islamic architecture, and one of the most modern. It stands at a crossroads between East and West, past and the future. After fourteen years of relentless civil war, no one is sure exactly what lies ahead. But Damascus is famously full of surprises.

Editor Zaher Omareen and author Haseeb Al-Zainy will read from The Book of Damascus in English and Arabic (with English subtitles).

‘The Book of Damascus suggests a way forward for Syrian fiction beyond catastrophe—remarkable for a collection written largely during the war. The collection’s most memorable stories refuse to let either the city or its inhabitants collapse into a single interpretive centre.’ – Anas Tareef, The Markaz Review

Film Screening:

On Dreams, the Surreal and the Liberation of Syria (and Homs)

By Julie-Yara Atz

In this 8-minute short, Julie-Yara Atz films her hometown of Homs after the long-awaited fall of the Assad regime. Time stands still, everything looks new. The future is open to dreams and hopes, but also to uncertainties.

‘A raw encounter with the city, once named the ‘capital of the revolution’. Shot on an infrared camera, from a car window, the film subverts commonly seen images of destruction. The ruins are permeated with light; there is a breeze of possibility. The absences are filled with euphoria and anticipation. The film creates a space where the tension between grief and joy is held.’ – Milda Valiulyte, Letterboxd

The readings and film screening will be followed by a panel discussion and audience Q&A hosted by Basma Ghalayini, Arabic Series Editor at Comma Press.

Registration is £5 and includes refreshments.

If cost is a barrier to attending, please reach out to us on info@arabbritishcentre.org.uk.

Please note, the Arab British Centre is not a fully accessible building. Please reach out to us to discuss your access requirements.

About the Speakers:

Zaher Omareen is a Syrian researcher and writer who has published articles and short stories in the Arab and English press. His short story ‘First Safety Manoeuvre’ won a prize awarded by the Danish Institute in Damascus and by the 2012 Copenhagen Festival of Literature. He has worked on independent cultural initiatives in Syria and Europe, and co-curated exhibitions on the art of the Syrian uprising. He studied media, journalism, and theatrical and dramatic arts in Damascus, and holds an MA in media and cultural studies from Sussex University. He is a PhD candidate in contemporary documentary cinema and new media at Goldsmiths College, London, and is completing Tales of the Orontes River, a collection of short stories drawn from the collective memories of the 1982 Hama massacre. Zaher recently co-edited and published Syria Speaks: Art and Culture from the Frontline (Saqi Books, 2014), which discusses the artistic and cultural outcomes of the Syrian uprising.

Haseeb Al-Zainy is a British writer and journalist of Syrian origin. A graduate of the Faculty of Media at the University of Damascus, he has worked with local, regional and international media organisations. He writes fiction in Arabic and has received several local literary awards. His works include the short story collections Details That Concern No One and Dopamine, and the novel Ghosts of London. He is currently publishing a series of English-language short stories on Amazon.

Julie-Yara is a Syrian-Swiss director and actor, now also British. She holds an MA in Cultural Studies from SOAS, with a focus on subversive storytelling. Their documentary Leaving Syria: Long Live the Youth premiered at Telluride (2017), and their short On Dreams, the Surreal and the Liberation of Syria (and Homs) – shot in infrared in Syria days after the fall of the Assad regime – screened at Glasgow Shorts and Solothurner Filmtage. Her co-directed Wave Warning screened at Locarno very early in her career, where she recently pitched her newest project My Mom the Anarchist, a hybrid documentary-animation feature. As an actor, recent credits include Occupational Hazards by Oscar-nominated, BAFTA-winning Bassel Ghandour, and Khalil Cherti's Ce qui nous mène à toi, which premiered at Angoulême, where it won two awards. You might have seen her previously in Shetland 6 (ITV/BBC).

Basma Ghalayini is an editor and translator, born in Khan Younis and raised in Gaza City. She is the editor of Palestine +100: Stories from a Century After the Nakba, Voices of Resistance: Diaries of Genocide, and Palestine – 1: Stories from the Eve of the Nakba. Her translations have been published by Commonwealth Writers, Deep Vellum Press and Comma Press in books including Banthology, The Book of Ramallah and The Book of Cairo. As a journalist, she has written for the New York Times and Wasafari.