"Writing From Conflict" At Durham Book Festival

We live in a reality where the truth is constantly under attack. Our understanding of events and other people is influenced by various art forms, which can counter a lot false news about refugees and conflict. Literature is one such medium.

The Writing from Conflict event at the Durham Book Festival was a deeply moving experience. The event brought together three authors whose works focus on conflict zones and the stories of common people caught within them. Each author’s reading and reflections provided an understanding of how literature can capture complexities of war, displacement, and survival – highlighting real issues that are often ignored in mainstream media.

The session opened with Peace Adzo Medie reading an excerpt from her latest novel Nightbloom, which was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize in Literature. Her portrayal of the relationship between a mother and daughter was emotionally charged, showing how conflict disrupts familial bonds. The piece shed light on the smaller, more personal aspects of conflict that can be overlooked – the emotional toll on women, particularly mothers, and how they navigate the world to protect their children.

Medie is an associate professor of politics at the University of Bristol, and her research is at the intersection of African studies, women’s and gender studies, and international relations. Her academic work has guided her work in fiction. She said, “Fiction allows me to follow a single character closely... Academics gives you an overview, but fiction lets you walk side by side with this person.” Her explanation of how these two aspects of writing complement each other was well researched and she had an interesting approach to both.

Ibtisam Azem discussed her novel The Book of Disappearance, which speculates on what might happen if Palestine disappeared. Drawing from her own experiences and interviews with Israeli politicians, she critiqued how mainstream media often silences the Palestinian narrative. Her discussion was one of the event’s most thought-provoking moments, as she asked, "Why are so many people who don’t agree with what is happening staying silent?" Azem’s novel emerged from her need to confront these silences and give voice to the Palestinian experience under occupation. The excerpt she read, inspired by her grandmother’s story, vividly portrayed displacement’s deep, personal impact.

Azem recounted the experiences she had as she progressed with her research. Her account of the doctors who were made to keep prisoners alive for torture was particularly heart wrenching.

Yeva Skalietska shared her experience as a child living through the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Her diary-turned-memoir, You Don’t Know What War Is, recounts the terror of air raids and bombings from a child’s perspective. Yeva’s reading of the first day of the war was particularly harrowing as she recalled being woken up by missile strikes, capturing the sense of helplessness and confusion experienced by many children in war zones. Her words reminded the audience that the trauma of conflict ripples through generations.

She shared her experience of the publishing process, and how difficult editing was for her, as she had to relive the incidents of war. She said, “None of us were prepared for war,” and emphasised how children must know peace – children who should be living carefree lives, but are instead forced to grow up faster in order to face the ordeals of past.

All three authors spoke about the themes of friendship and resilience that are central to their books. Medie spoke about how friendships carry people through the violence and chaos of conflict, while Azem posed a provocative question about whether true friendship can actually exist between colonisers and the colonised. Yeva, meanwhile, highlighted how her friends helped her stay connected and grounded during the war.

The chair, Hannah Brown, asked meaningful questions throughout the event. These questions brought forward more nuanced insights on the thought processes behind each book.

This event was a testament to the power of literature in addressing complex issues like colonisation, occupation and war. It left the audience with a greater understanding of the personal toll of these experiences, and the importance of amplifying voices from areas of conflict.