‘Euphrates Amali’ Explores Displacement and Syrian Lives on the Margins

Syrian writer Issa al-Sheikh Hassan’s new book, “Euphrates Amali,” recounts the suffering of Syrians forced from their homes, exploring the memories and cultural traditions they carried into exile.

The book approaches forced displacement through the lives of those who endured it. Alongside the pain of uprooting, it considers what Syrians brought with them as they settled in unfamiliar places.

Culture and tradition are central to that account. They form part of the connection between the homes Syrians left behind and the new surroundings in which they have had to rebuild their lives.

By bringing experiences on the margins into focus, al-Sheikh Hassan links the documentation of suffering with an exploration of memory. His subject is not only the loss of home, but also the cultural life that survives beyond it.