In a week where The National reported that some neighbourhoods in Damascus had turned into ghost towns as residents fled for their lives, and the UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed voiced concerns that the situation in Syria has escalated because the recommendations of the Arab League have been ignored, the award of another literary prize might have seemed completely irrelevant. But when the author Samar Yazbek received the International Writer of Courage Award 2012 last week for her unflinching diary of the early days of the Syrian uprising - A Woman in the Crossfire - there was the real sense that books are still capable of increasing awareness and highlighting injustice. Maybe even of effecting change.
"Obviously the award means a lot personally, but it's more important as a reflection on how the situation in Syria is perceived," she says, a few days after accepting the award. "I have been persistent in representing the first four months of the revolution honestly, and I tried to report the reality as I witnessed it, to refute the lies presented by the regime's media."
As a neat summation of A Woman in the Crossfire, which last month The National called "the definitive account of the first 100 days of a once-peaceful uprising", her description is spot on. But the reality is harrowing. As a high-profile journalist, her criticism was troublesome for the regime, and in the book she is arrested, punched by a police officer, and threatened over and over again for daring to voice her opposition. Her family disowns her and her teenage daughter pleads with her to stop. In the end Yazbek flees to Paris. "I don't know if I was brave, I just felt it was a duty to publish this book, a duty connected to the ideals of justice and bearing witness to the truth," she says. "That is the most important role an intellectual or a writer should play, and to be honest, that gives us meaning. But I had to leave Syria to be able to publish it, while people back home are now paying with their lives to document the shelling. What I have done is actually very basic and can't be compared to their actions."
Yazbek is being slightly modest. Although she effectively lives in exile, she still sneaks back into Syria in secrecy to make sense of the situation. "I wouldn't say I live in exile - I don't feel I belong - but the internet has made things much easier for me," she says. But what she's seen since writing A Woman in the Crossfire hasn't made her any more hopeful for the future.
"I'm afraid we are in a difficult and complex situation," she says. "The regime describes it as a civil war to find a justification for murdering so many innocent people, and to distort the revolution's ethical and peaceful ideals. They have managed to force the peaceful popular movement to adopt an armed struggle and, as no agreements have been struck that suit the interests of all international players, as long as Assad is in power the revolution will continue. I am afraid the longer things drag on the more we face the increasing risk of sectarianism and fundamentalism."
As for Yazbek, she now joins a distinguished band of award-winning war reporters. A strange accolade, perhaps, for a novelist who wasn't even sure whether she'd publish these very personal diaries in the first place and cites the famous 10th-century writer Abu Hayyan Al-Tawhidi, Greek mythology and Virginia Woolf as key influences. But it's the writing that hits home, born of a clear desire that one day, Yazbek can return home herself, without fear, in a country of peace.
* Woman in the Crossfire: Diaries of the Syrian Revolution is out now in Arabic and English
WIDE%20VIEW
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The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
The specs: 2018 Audi RS5
Price, base: Dh359,200
Engine: 2.9L twin-turbo V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 450hp at 5,700rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 1,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Seoul from Dh3,775 return, including taxes
The package
Ski Safari offers a seven-night ski package to Korea, including five nights at the Dragon Valley Hotel in Yongpyong and two nights at Seoul CenterMark hotel, from £720 (Dh3,488) per person, including transfers, based on two travelling in January
The info
Visit www.gokorea.co.uk
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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The five pillars of Islam
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
THE BIO
Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13
Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier
Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife
What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.
Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The%20specs
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Honeymoonish
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Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes