A Woman in the Crossfire

Outline

A Woman in the Crossfire (2012) is Samar Yazbek’s diary of the first months of the Syrian uprising in 2011. Moving between demonstrations, hospitals, and conversations with ordinary people, she records the fear, courage, and suffering she witnessed as peaceful protests were met with force. The book won the PEN Pinter Prize for an International Writer of Courage and offers a powerful firsthand account of a turning point in Syria’s history.

• The book is Samar Yazbek's diary of the first months of Syria's 2011 uprising, written as events unfolded.
• She moves between demonstrations, hospitals, and conversations with ordinary people to record what she saw.
• Fear, courage, and suffering run through her account as peaceful protests were met with force.
• It offers a firsthand view of a turning point in Syria's history, told through personal witness rather than analysis.
• The book won the PEN Pinter Prize for an International Writer of Courage.

Samar Yazbek is a Syrian novelist and journalist, born in 1970, who has lived in exile in France since 2011. She writes about Syria, women’s lives, and the experience of war. Her other books include The Crossing.