Freedom Hospital

Freedom Hospital

A Syrian Story

Summary

‘With the intimacy of a person who has lived the tragedy himself but with the restraint of a true artist, Hamid Sulaiman tells a powerful tale of Syria’s descent into cataclysm while reminding us of those still tending the seeds of the revolutionary spring.’
Joe Sacco


Winner of the 2017 PEN Translates Award
Winner of the 2017 Burgess Grant

It is spring 2012 and 40,000 people have died since the start of the Syrian Arab Spring. In the wake of this, Yasmin has set up a clandestine hospital in the north of the country. The town that she lives in is controlled by Assad’s brutal regime, but is relatively stable. However, as the months pass, the situation becomes increasingly complex and violent. Told in stark, beautiful black-and-white imagery, Freedom Hospital illuminates a complicated situation with gut-wrenching detail and very dark humour.

The story of Syria is one of the most devastating narratives of our age and Freedom Hospital is an important and timely book from a new international talent.

Reviews

  • Urgent, cogent and compellingFreedom Hospital is genuinely shocking at times, but Francesca Barrie’s impressive translation also finds the black humour that tends to have a natural home in graphic novels… Yes, Freedom Hospital is a must read, but its tone, mood and form somehow make it as entertaining as it is informative and thought-provoking. A graphic novel might just be “the” piece of creative writing to come out of the horrifying mess that is Syria in the 2010s.
    Ben East, National

About the author

Hamid Sulaiman

Hamid Sulaiman was born in Syria. He was heavily involved in the Arab Spring, spending time in prison for his involvement in peaceful demonstrations, but managed to escape to Egypt before making his way to France. He is currently based in Paris. Freedom Hospital is his first book.
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