Refugee Literature Display
Introduction
Last week, in collaboration with SolidariTee, we launched our Refugee Literature Display in the library, with the intention of spotlighting the wealth and variety of material published by refugee authors.
The display features novels, short stories, recollections and reflections by a number of noteworthy figures, some educated at Oxford and all highly commended on the basis of their work. Complementing each title is a caption contributed by English Faculty Library staff or a member of SolidariTee, which briefly introduces the recommendation and describes any motivation for making the selection.
The display is available until 24th June, with the library accessible to those with a valid library card. The library can be contacted about the display using the details on the webpage.
English Faculty Library | Bodleian Libraries (ox.ac.uk)
Who are SolidariTee?
In curating the display, the library is privileged to have had the opportunity to work with some of the Oxford members of SolidariTee – an international, student-led charity that seeks for empowering, long-term change in the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers, predominantly through advocacy and fundraising. Given recent global events, their work has arguably never been more important. You can find out more about the organisation and how to support them at the link below.
SolidariTee | Fundraising legal aid for refugees and educating on refugee issues
Further Reading
Sadly, there is simply not enough room in our display cases to showcase all the excellent work produced by refugee authors. It is because of this that we have chosen to consign a couple of our recommendations to this blog post instead, and to provide an additional list of recent releases that might pique the interest of those wishing to explore literature produced by refugees. Though the list is by no means exhaustive, the titles included are available via the Bodleian Libraries and can be found at the SOLO links provided.
Blog pick: SolidariTee
Dayini, Publicity Officer at SolidariTee, Oxford
All That’s Left to You, a novella by Ghassan Kanafani, presents the stories of three Palestinian characters living in Gaza: Hamid, in opposing his sister Maryam’s marriage to Zakaria, decides to cross the desert to Jordan. For me, the oscillation between the past and the present and the interwoven narrations by Hamid, Maryam, Desert and Time without clear distinction powerfully highlights their constant state of flux in a world governed by displacement and perpetual movement.
All That’s Left to You by Ghassan Kanafani
Blog pick: English Faculty Library
Ross, Senior Library Assistant at the EFL
No Friend But the Mountains by Behrouz Boochani is an autobiographical account of the trials he has faced in travelling to Christmas Island and later during detention at an Australian immigration facility. It is a damning indictment of a system designed to dehumanise and made all the more visceral when you discover that the text is drawn from a series of smuggled files and messages.
No Friend But the Mountains by Behrouz Boochani
This book has been recommended previously by alum Carol Bolton as part of the English Faculty’s Telling our Stories Better Project. Find out more at the link below.
Telling Our Stories Better: Online Gallery | Faculty of English (ox.ac.uk)
You might also be interested in…
Ávila Laurel, Juan Tomás, and Jethro Soutar. By Night the Mountain Burns. 2014.
Beah, Ishmael. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. 2008.
Donald, Jason. Dalila. 2018.
Ismailov, Hamid, and Donald Rayfield. Manaschi. 2021.
Khakpour, Porochista. The Last Illusion. 2016.
Okorie, Melatu Uche, and Liam Thornton. This Hostel Life. 2018.
Passarlay, Gulwali, and Nadene Ghouri. The Lightless Sky: My Journey to Safety as a Child Refugee. 2016.
Sīrīs, Nihād, and Max Weiss. The Silence and the Roar. 2013.
Want to collaborate with the English Faculty Library on a display? Get in touch at efl-enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk. Preference will be given to staff and students affiliated with the Faculty of English.