Leaving Beirut

'Leaving Beirut is one of the most poignant testimonies to the Lebanese civil war.' Moris Farhi 'One of those rare books that leaves its readers able to breathe more deeply, with a renewed sense that life, for all its cruelties, is beautiful.' Maggie Gee 'A writer, artist and publisher who took her passion for life, controversy and feminism to the streets of Beirut and London.' Malu Halasa, The Guardian 'A tangled and creative mix of memoir, fiction, recollection, old-fashioned yarn-spinning, postmodern pastiche, literary criticism and methodically plotted political essay ... Required reading for anyone harbouring a love-hate fascination with the city.' The Daily Star 'An elegant chronicle of exile and conflict.' Buenos Aires Herald 'Ghoussoub was an infectious optimist and the hope that radiates from this memoir is a fitting tribute.' Metro '[Leaving Beirut] deserves to become a classic - at once a testimony of war, a memoir of exile and a critique of man's inhumanity, it tackles the very darkest of subjects with a compelling lightness of touch.' Jo Glanville, New Statesman 'A journey through darkness and into light.' The Independent