Christy Lefteri

This unforgettable novel puts human faces on the Syrian war with the immigrant story of a beekeeper, his wife, and the triumph of spirit when the world becomes unrecognizable. "Courageous and provocative...a beautifully crafted novel of international significance that has the capacity to have us open our eyes and see."--Heather Morris, author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz.z.

The Beekeeper of Aleppo

"From the prize-winning author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo, a stunning novel about the disappearance of a Sri Lankan nanny and how the most vulnerable people find their voices. "It began with a crunch of leaves and earth. So early, so cold, the branches shone with ice. I'd returned to collect the songbirds. They are worth more than their weight in gold." Yiannis is a poacher, trapping the tiny protected songbirds that stop in Cyprus as they migrate each year from Africa to Europe and selling them on the black market. He dreams of finding a new way of life, and of marrying Nisha, who works on the island as a nanny and maid--having left her native Sri Lanka to try to earn enough to support her daughter, left behind and raised by relatives. But Nisha has vanished; one evening, she steps out on a mysterious errand and doesn't return. The police write off her disappearance as just another runaway domestic worker, so her employer, Petra, undertakes the investigation. Petra's unravelling of Nisha's last days in Cyprus lead her to Nisha's friends--other maids in the neighborhood--and to the darker side of a migrant's life, where impossible choices leave them vulnerable, captive, and worse. Based on the real-life disappearance of domestic workers in Cyprus, Christy Lefteri has crafted a poignant, deeply empathetic narrative of the human stories behind the headlines. With infinite tenderness and skill, Songbirds offers a triumphant story of the fight for truth and justice, and of women reclaiming their lost voices"--

A Novel

Songbirds

De bijenhouder van Aleppo

An epic, stunning novel about one family’s search for the true meaning of home in the wake of disaster, from the prize-winning author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo. In present-day Greece, deep in an ancient forest, lives a family: Irini, a musician, who teaches children to read and play music; her husband, Tasso, who paints pictures of the forest, his greatest muse; and Chara, their young daughter, whose name means joy. On the fateful day that will forever alter the trajectory of their lives, flames chase fleeing birds across the sky. The wildfire that will consume their home, and their lives as they know it, races toward them. In the smoldering aftermath, Irini stumbles upon the body of the man who started the fire, a land speculator who had intended only a small, controlled burn to clear forestland to build on and instead ignited a catastrophe. He is dead, although the cause is unclear, and in her anger at all he took from them, Irini makes a split-second decision that will haunt her. As the local police investigate the mysterious death, Tasso mourns his father, who has not been seen since before the fire. His hands were burnt in the flames, leaving him unable to paint, and he struggles to cope with the overwhelming loss of his artistic voice and his beloved forest. Only his young daughter, who wants to repair the damage that’s been done, gives him hope for the future. Gorgeously written, sweeping in scope and intimate in tone, The Book of Fire is a masterful work about the search for meaning in the wake of tragedy, as well as the universal ties that bind people to each other, and to the land that they call home.

The Book of Fire

"A beautifully crafted novel that sits at the intersection of race and class, that flags the frank truth of the life of migrant workers for whom a flight to freedom can become the most finely woven trap."--JODI PICOULT, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Two Ways From the prize-winning author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo comes Songbirds, a stunning novel about the disappearance of a Sri Lankan domestic worker and how the most vulnerable people find their voices. Living on the island of Cyprus, Nisha is far from her native Sri Lanka. Though she longs to return home, she knows that working as a "maid" for a wealthy widow is the only way to earn enough to support her daughter, left behind to be raised by relatives. Yiannis is a poacher, trapping the tiny protected songbirds that stop in Cyprus as they migrate each year from Africa to Europe and selling them on the illegal market. He dreams of finding a new way of life, and of marrying Nisha. But one night, Nisha makes dinner, an aromatic dahl curry, for the family who pays her: Petra and her daughter Aliki. Then, after she cleans the kitchen and tucks Aliki into bed, Nisha goes out on a mysterious errand, and vanishes. When the police refuse to pursue the case, Petra takes on the investigation herself, a path that leads her to Nisha's friends--other workers in the neighborhood--and to the darker side of a migrant's life, where impossible choices leave them vulnerable, captive, and worse. Inspired by the real-life disappearance of domestic workers in Cyprus, Christy Lefteri has crafted a poignant, deeply empathetic narrative of the human stories behind the headlines. With infinite tenderness and skill, Songbirds offers a triumphant story of the fight for truth and justice, and of women reclaiming their lost voices.

L'apicultore di Aleppo

The triumphant follow-up to the million copy bestseller, The Beekeeper of Aleppo

It is July 1974 and on a bright, sunny morning, the Turkish army has invaded the village of Kyrenia in Cyprus. For many people, this means an end to life as they know it. But for some, it is a chance to begin living again. Koki, a young villager, feared and hated by her neighbours for her startling red hair, has spent her life in shadow. But held captive in the house to which the women of Kyrenia have been brought, she can at last speak to them as an equal. She can tell them her story of a summer long ago. The young, Turkish shoe-maker who came to the village and took her heart away with him when he left. And how she has longed for him all these years and never known why he left, what took him away. Adem Berker is a Turkish soldier and for him, the invasion of his former home is an opportunity to seek out the woman he has loved for so many years. Waiting for a chance to return, his only thought has been of her. And so, by cover of darkness, he searches every house, every pathway for a glimpse of that head of flames.For Richard, growing old and grey in a dank bedsit in the centre of London, where the underground trains shake the foundations, the invasion of Cyprus stirs memories of his time as a British pilot, of a woman, a child and a secret it is becoming all too difficult to keep.

A Watermelon, a Fish and a Bible

Biodlaren från Aleppo är en gripande och oerhört stark roman som påminner oss om historieberättandets kraft och om den stabila punkt ett litet bi kan utgöra i en värld som har slutat att vara begriplig.

Biodlaren från Aleppo

Comovente, poderoso, escrito com enorme beleza e compaixão, um testemunho do triunfo do espírito humano.Nuri é apicultor; a sua mulher, Afra, uma artista. Vivem uma vida simples, com uma bela família e amigos, na bonita cidade Síria de Alepo. Até que o impensável acontece. Quando tudo aquilo que lhes importa é destruído pela guerra, são forçados a fugir. Mas aquilo que a Afra viu é tão horrível que ela fica cega, e por isso embarcam numa perigosa viagem pela Turquia e Grécia, até ao futuro incerto no Reino Unido. Na travessia, o Nuri agarra-se à esperança de reencontrar o seu primo Mustafa, e sócio nos negócios, que criou apiários na Inglaterra e que ensina apicultura aos refugiados em Yorkshire. Nuri e Afra viajam por um mundo despedaçado e têm de confrontar a indizível dor da sua perda, enquanto enfrentam perigos que assustariam a mais corajosa das almas. Acima de tudo — e talvez esta seja a coisa mais difícil que eles enfrentam —, têm de se encontrar um ao outro. Comovente, poderoso, escrito com enorme beleza e compaixão, O apicultor de Alepo é um testemunho do triunfo do espírito humano. Contado de uma forma clara, é o tipo de livro que nos recorda o poder das boas histórias.

O Apicultor de Alepo

Quercus

A moving novel of love and war by the author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo It is July 1974 and on a bright, sunny morning, the Turkish army has invaded the town of Kyrenia in Cyprus. For many people, this means an end to life as they know it. But for some, it is a chance to begin living again. Everyone has always talked about Koki. They never believed she was her father's daughter and her mother died too soon to quiet their wagging tongues. And when she became pregnant and there was no sign of a husband, her fate was sealed. So she lives outside the town and hides from her neighbours' eyes. But, held captive with the very women who have made her life so lonely, Koki is finally able to tell them the truth. To talk of the Turkish shoe-maker who came to the town and took her heart away with him when he left. And how she has longed for him all these years. Meanwhile, Adem Berker finds himself back in Kyrenia, his former home, now as a member of the invading force. Here he left everything he ever wanted and, by cover of darkness, risking his life, he is searching every house, every cafe, every old pathway, for just a glimpse of the only woman he has ever loved. For readers of The Island, The Book Thief and The Kite Runner.

Aleppon mehiläistarhuri

L'apiculteur d'Alep

roman

Zangvogels

The powerful new novel from the bestselling author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo.

Philippe Sands

Robert Macfarlane

Dina Nayeri

Shami Chakrabarti

Simon Smith

Amy Sackville

Kyon Ferril

Pincus HERD

Seventy years after the 1951 Refugee Convention 'endeavoured to assure refugees the widest possible exercise of these fundamental rights and Freedoms', the fourth volume of Refugee Tales again shares the tales of people who have sought refuge and welcome, and instead have found themselves detained. As the coronavirus death toll rises across the world, more than ever the detention of migrants and people forced to move is a defining issue of our moment. In these new tales, poets, novelists and writers have collaborated with people who have experienced detention, their stories appearing alongside first-hand accounts of people who themselves have been detained. Here we are told what it means to experience the ongoing reality of the UK's 'hostile environment', as well as detention in Canada, Greece, Italy, and the USA. Each new story communicates the human costs of a system which fundamentally breaches human rights, and each story conveys the need for urgent political change.

Refugee Tales Volume 4

Nuri este apicultor, iar Afra, soția sa, este artistă. Dimineața, Nuri se trezește odată cu prima chemare la rugăciune, apoi se duce la stupii săi afl ați într-un încântător peisaj rural. Afra își vinde în piața orașului picturile în culori paradiziace. Trăiesc o viață simplă, dăruită cu bucuria familiei și a prietenilor, pe dealurile frumosului oraș sirian Alep, până când tragedia îi lovește. Când tot ce iubesc este distrus de război, Nuri știe că nu au de ales decât să ia drumul refugiului. Dar scăparea din Siria apocaliptică nu va fi ușoară. Călătoria spre Turcia, apoi, prin Grecia, către Marea Britanie este o trecere prin infern – prin infernul evocării continue a trecutului recent și prin infernul condiției actuale de refugiat. Ceea ce îi dă putere lui Nuri este gândul că, la capătul drumului, îl așteaptă vărul său, Mustafa, cu care va reconstrui, din ceea ce le-a rămas, viața tihnită de altădată, pe meleaguri străine. Apicultorul din Alep este un roman de o actualitate acută, care ne solicită din plin empatia. Totodată, este un avertisment că nimic nu este pe veci garantat, că într-o clipă, viața cea mai pașnică și mai obișnuită poate fi zdruncinată din temelii. „Christy Left eri demonstrează cu sensibilitate ce se întâmplă atunci când războiul ajunge până la tine și avertizează asupra efectelor subtile ale traumei și doliului. Nuri și Afra nu sunt portretizați în mod schematic ca victime, ci fi ecare face față în felul său specifi c și complicat sindromului de stres posttraumatic... Prin crearea unor personaje cu o viață interioară atât de bogată și de complexă, Left eri sugerează că, pentru a oferi compasiune unor milioane de oameni, te ajută dacă începi cu unul singur.“ Time „Evocând brutalitatea realității cotidiene ca și licăririle ei de frumusețe, acest roman umanizează poveștile cutremurătoare ale refugiaților despre care auzim la știri. Left eri explorează nevoia de încredere și demonstrează efectele traumei și ale pierderii asupra oamenilor și a relațiilor dintre ei... O frumoasă meditație asupra realității din fața noastră, cu bune și cu rele.

Apicultorul Din Alep

Rachel Seiffert

Maurizio Veglio

Natalia Sierra

Khodadad Mohammadi

Bidisha

Seventy years after the adoption of the 1951 Refugee Convention, the UK is guilty of undermining the very principles of asylum, inhumanely detaining those seeking protection and ushering in sweeping changes that threaten to punish refugees at every turn. But the UK’s immigration system is not alone in committing such breaches of human rights. The fourth volume of Refugee Tales explores our present international environment, combining author re-tellings with first-hand accounts of individuals who have been detained across the world. As the coronavirus pandemic defies borders – leaving those who are detained even more vulnerable – this collection shares stories spanning Canada, Greece, Italy, Switzerland and the UK, and calls for international insistence on a future without detention. Edited by Anna Pincus & David Herd. ‘Heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measure. Every page is filled with quiet dignity.’ – Shobu Kapoor ‘A courageous book’ – Jackie Kay Part of the Refugee Tales series.

Volume IV

Refugee Tales

"Lindo... O roubo dos pássaros vai tocar seu coração e abrir seus olhos." Heather Morris, autora do best-seller O Tatuador de Auschwitz Nisha cruzou os oceanos para dar um futuro à sua filha. Durante o dia, ela cuida da casa e da filha de Petra; à noite, ela é mãe de sua própria filhinha, através da tela do telefone. O namorado de Nisha, Yiannis, é um caçador clandestino, que captura as minúsculas e melodiosas aves canoras que migram para a África durante o inverno. Seus sonhos de uma nova vida e de se casar com Nisha são destruídos quando ela desaparece sem qualquer aviso. Ninguém se importa com o sumiço de uma empregada doméstica, exceto Petra e Yiannis. Quando se propuseram a procurá-la, perceberam o pouco que sabiam sobre Nisha. O que eles descobrem vai mudá-los profundamente. Ambientada em seu Chipre natal, Christy Lefteri criou uma poderosa e redentora história de perda, do triunfo do espírito humano e do amor duradouro de uma mãe por seu filho. _____________________________________________________ "Lefteri é uma incrível tecelã de histórias que falam ao mundo com compaixão. O roubo dos pássaros é uma narrativa convincente do início ao fim, que me manteve no limite". Daljit Nagra, poeta inglês, Membro da Ordem do Império e da Sociedade Real de Literatura britânicos "Como os pássaros vulneráveis presos em redes de névoa, os personagens de Lefteri [...] partiram meu coração e me fizeram virar as páginas de seu lindo romance noite adentro." Alka Joshi, autor do best-seller do New York Times A pintora de henna e de The Secret Keeper of Jaipur "Nunca li nada como O roubo dos pássaros – um romance maravilhosamente elaborado que se localiza na intersecção entre raça e classe." Jodi Picoult, autora de Um milhão de pequenas coisas e Tempo de partir "O estimulante romance de Christy Lefteri, uma história sobre amor, perda e redenção, é completamente sublime." Caroline Montague, bestseller autor de An Italian Affair

O roubo dos pássaros

"Da mesma escola de O tatuador de Auschwitz e O caçador de pipas. É impossível não se comover – e se inspirar – com o apelo de Lefteri por humanidade." The Guardian Nuri cria abelhas; sua esposa, Afra, é uma artista visual. Eles levam uma vida simples, mas plena de afeto, entre familiares e amigos, na bela cidade síria de Alepo – até que o impensável acontece. Quando tudo o que importa é dizimado pela guerra, eles são forçados a fugir. Mas o que Afra teve de presenciar foi tão terrível que acabou por cegá-la, e é assim que eles devem embarcar em uma viagem perigosa pela Turquia e pela Grécia em direção a um futuro incerto no Reino Unido. No caminho, repleto de provações, Nuri se ampara no fato de que Mustafá, seu primo e sócio, espera por eles na cidade inglesa de Yorkshire, onde ele fundou um apiário e vem ensinando outros refugiados a criar abelhas. Comovente, poderoso, apaixonante e escrito com maestria, O homem que escutava as abelhas é um testemunho do triunfo do espírito humano. É o tipo de livro que nos lembra do poder de contar histórias. _____________________________________________________________ "Corajoso e instigante." Heather Morris, autora de O tatuador de Auschwitz e A viagem de Cilka "Lefteri retrata com sensibilidade como é ser alcançado em casa pela guerra, consciente dos efeitos sutis do trauma e da dor [...] Ao criar personagens com vidas interiores tão ricas e complexas, ela mostra que a forma mais fácil de estendermos nossa compaixão a milhões de pessoas é começar por uma única." Time "Retratando sua brutalidade diária, mas também os lampejos de beleza, este romance humaniza as histórias chocantes de refugiados sobre as quais lemos no noticiário. Lefteri explora questões de confiança e retrata o que o trauma e a perda podem causar nos indivíduos e em seus relacionamentos." The Boston Globe "Lefteri conta uma história assombrosa e vibrante de refugiados de guerra sírios que empreendem uma jornada traiçoeira [...] Os leitores vão achá-la profundamente comovente, por sua intensidade psicológica e perspicácia emocional." Publishers Weekly "As histórias humanas por trás das imagens do noticiário de refugiados de guerra sírios emergem num romance tão comovente quanto alarmante [...] A história de Nuri ressoa com autenticidade, desde as imensas crueldades impessoais da guerra até as pequenas gentilezas que ajudam as pessoas a sobreviver a ela. Nuri busca ser o elo mais forte, mas Lefteri mostra ao leitor, sutil e lentamente, quão profundas suas feridas também são. Uma trama bem construída e um narrador atormentado, mas envolvente, dão poder a esta comovente história de refugiados sírios." Kirkus Reviews

Christy Lefteri

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