Britain's beekeeper of Aleppo inspires a bestseller

Christy Lefteri’s book on Syrian refugee who breeds rare bees causes quite a buzz

The drop-in refugee centre in Ellinikon in Athens, Greece, which author Christy Lefteri used as the inspiration for her novel. Courtesy Christy Lefteri

The heartwarming story of a Syrian academic's new life beekeeping in Britain after fleeing the civil war has won an award.

Author Christy Lefteri's bestselling book The Beekeeper of Aleppo won a gold award after selling more than 500,000 copies.

The book is based on the story of refugee Dr Ryad Alsous, who came to the UK in 2013 after fleeing Syria.

After years studying the chemical properties of honey, Dr Alsous used his knowledge to cultivate rare bees in his new home in Marsden, Yorkshire, in northern England.

He set up the Buzz Project to teach other refugees the art of beekeeping.

The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri. Courtesy Zaffre Books

Ms Lefteri, who worked with refugees, was awarded the Bestselling Book gold award by Nielsen Book this week.

"I'm absolutely delighted to have won," she said. "I'm so happy, it shows that the book that I put so much of my heart into has reached so many people.

"I wanted the story to highlight the plight of refugees, both in Syria and the rest of the world, particularly because my parents were refugees after the war in Cyprus in 1974. Winning this award means the absolute world to me. I'm so pleased it has reached so many readers."

Dr Alsous said he took pleasure in knowing his work helped to improve the English and lives of other refugees.

At the annual ceremony, which took place virtually, authors received honours for significant lifetime sales, as measured by Nielsen BookScan and PubTrack Digital across both print and e-book formats.

Awards were presented to writers of books that passed certain sales thresholds in 2020.

Andre Breedt, managing director of Nielsen Book, said: “We are delighted to be celebrating the fifth Nielsen Bestseller Awards, albeit virtually on social media.

"It feels more important than ever to recognise and celebrate the incredible role books have played in our lives this last year.

"Whether it was reading for escapism or keeping us calm, helping to homeschool our children or the source of the best binge-worthy TV series, books were and continue to be at the centre of our lives.

"Indeed without books, knowledge would not have transferred across the ages from diaries of former pandemics to medical journals contributing to new vaccines. Never have books been more needed or appreciated.”