NO KNIVES IN THE KITCHEN OF THIS CITY

A profound portrayal of life under tyranny by an acclaimed Syrian writer

In the once beautiful city of Aleppo, one Syrian family descends into tragedy and ruin. Irrepressible Sawsan flirts with militias, the ruling party, and finally religion, seeking but never finding salvation. She and her siblings and mother are slowly choked in violence and decay, as their lives are plundered by a brutal regime.
Set between the 1960s and 2000s, No Knives in the Kitchens of This City unravels the systems of fear and control under Assad. With eloquence and startling honesty, it speaks of the persecution of a whole society.

Winner of the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature 2013
Shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction

Khaled Khalifa was born in Aleppo, Syria, in 1964. A founding editor of the literary magazine Alif, he is the author of four novels, including In Praise of Hatred. He has also written numerous scripts for TV dramas and
films, a number of which have won awards, and screenplays for several feature films. He lives in Damascus, Syria.
Leri Price is a translator of contemporary Arabic literature. Her translation of Khaled Khalifa's In Praise of Hatred was longlisted for the 2013 Independent Prize for Foreign Fiction. She lives in the UK.