Philippe Sands

Christy Lefteri

Robert Macfarlane

Rachel Seiffert

Dina Nayeri

Shami Chakrabarti

Simon Smith

Maurizio Veglio

Natalia Sierra

Khodadad Mohammadi

Amy Sackville

Kyon Ferril

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

Their voices come from Bethlehem and Hebron. You can hear them from Jerusalem to Nazareth, and witness their protests in Gaza and Ramallah. From the refugee camps in the West Bank, you can hear the voices of the Palestinian people call out to demand self-determination and a better quality of life. But outside of Israel and the occupied territories, these individual voices are rarely heard—until now. In Beyond the Wall: Writing a Path through Palestine, internationally renowned feminist critic and writer Bidisha collects the testimonies of an occupied people—ordinary citizens, activists, children—alongside those of international aid workers and foreign visitors for a revelatory look at a population on the margins. Called “beautifully belligerent, [and] fiercely intelligent” by The Independent and a “dazzlingly creative writer” by the London Times, Bidisha amplifies the voices of the Palestinian people in this book and lends to them her own considerable strength.

Writing a Path Through Palestine

Beyond the Wall

Goldie

Holmes

Mohammad

PAGE

Newland

Alam

Master

Ghelani

Kalu

The superhero of comic books and blockbuster movies might be a State-side phenomenon, with its conservative notions of 'truth, justice and the American way'. But the cultural DNA of the superhero arguably lies in a much older, more progressive, British tradition: the folk heroes of British protest history.In this unique experiment, ten authors have been charged with resurrecting this tradition: to spawn a new generation of present-day British superheroes to bring the fight back to these shores, and to more progressive causes. From the statue-toppling Bristolian with otherworldly powers, to the Essex resident protecting public spaces and parks, these characters prove that it is possible to create a new breed of superhero in ways that capture essential truths about the society we live in.

The Cuckoo Cage

The female antidote to Alex Garland, Bidisha's Too Fast to Live is a Tarantino-esque reinterpretation of the Arthurian legends, set in contemporary London. A fast-paced novel about lost loves, crazy ladies, treacherous political affairs, betrayal and ambition; it takes prisoners and throws them into modern day Camelot - an empire ruled by terror, outrage and secret passion.

Too Fast to Live

During two long, humid summers, Bidisha was guided through Venice's intricate social conventions by her best friend's family. While learning valuable lessons about 'the Italian way', Bidisha also glimpsed disturbing prejudices that exist close beneath the sophisticated surface.

Under the Skin of the City of Love

Venetian Masters

Eley Williams

Kamila Shamsie

Luan Goldie

Lucy Caldwell

Martin Edwards

Nikita Lalwani

Julia Bell

Irfan Master

SJ Bradley

Jude Brown

Steve Chambers

Uschi Gatward

Gaia Holmes

Zoe Lambert

Anna Lewis

Donny O'Rourke

Karline Smith

Kim Squirrell

Lucas Stewart

At a time that feels unprecedented in British politics – with unlawful prorogations of parliament, casual race-baiting by senior politicians, and a climate crisis that continues to be ignored – it’s easy to think these are uncharted waters for us, as a democracy. But Britain has seen political crises and far-right extremism before, just as it has witnessed regressive, heavy-handed governments. Much worse has been done, or allowed to be done, in the name of the people and eventually, those same people have called it out, stood up, resisted. In this new collection of fictions and essays, spanning two millennia of British protest, authors, historians and activists re-imagine twenty acts of defiance: campaigns to change unjust laws, protests against unlawful acts, uprisings successful and unsuccessful – from Boudica to Blair Peach, from the Battle of Cable Street to the tragedy of Grenfell Tower. Britain might not be famous for its revolutionary spirit, but its people know when to draw the line, and say very clearly, ‘¡No pasarán!’ This project has been supported by the Barry Amiel and Norman Melburn Trust and the Lipman-Miliband Trust, as well as Arts Council England. Part of Comma's 'History-into-Fiction' series.

Stories of Uprising

Resist

Bidisha

Books

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