The Island

Grillmeier moves around the camp, the port and the north of the island, and travels to other areas on the European border, shining a light on the state of emergency there. At the heart of the book are the refugees themselves. Grillmeier tells their tragic stories, and reproduces numerous conversations in which refugees are given a chance to speak. She shows what life in the camps does to them, as well as reflecting on how life on the island is affecting her: while Grillmeier, as an observer, can come and go as she pleases, the refugees have no choice. The book also focuses on the criminalisation of humanitarian aid, the dismantling of press freedom, the burden placed on the local population, and the cynicism of politicians in Brussels and Athens. Grillmeier paints a shocking picture of the hollowing-out of the rule of law at the edges of the European Union, to which we have closed our eyes for too long.

‘This book is written from the perspective of an observer who was able to come and go as she pleased. It is dedicated to the people in Moria and all along Europe’s borders who spoke to me about their lives.’

*Life and death at the edges of Europe – notes by a young journalist

*Franziska Grillmeier’s first-hand report on the everyday reality for refugees at Europe’s external borders: in 2018 she herself moved to the island of Lesbos

*A stark and moving report on the fate of the nameless people at the edges of Europe

*Franziska Grillmeier was a member of the research collective working on the television programme ‘Das neue Moria’ for ‘ZDF Magazin Royale’

*For all readers of Navid Kermani’s ‘Entlang den Gräben’

*The author has a big following on Twitter, is a regular guest on talk shows, and is available for events