Topic: Rafik Schami

rss-iconSubscribe to feed
Rafik Schami during a reading at lit.cologne 2014 (photo: picture-alliance/dpa/Horst Galuschka)

Profile: the Syrian–German author Rafik Schami

An exile in his homeland

Rafik Schami is one of the most important authors writing in the German language. Though he first came to Germany when he was 25 years old, his Syrian homeland is never far from his thoughts. It is also the setting for many of his stories. Markus Clauer introduces the best-selling authorMore

Interview with Rafik Schami: Defending the Assad kingdomThe Syrian poet Hala Mohammad: "They are stealing the soul from our revolution" Syria's opposition writers: Fighting oppression and censorshipEssay by the Syrian writer Fawwaz Haddad: Children of a divided nation
The Syrian-born writer Rafik Schami (photo: dpa/picture-alliance)

Interview with Rafik Schami

Defending the Assad kingdom

According to renowned Syrian-born writer Rafik Schami, Assad's survival concept is quite straightforward: to keep his clan in power at any price. He is being aided in this endeavour by the West's indecisiveness towards his regime. Interview conducted by Eren GüvercinMore

Syria and the Ba'ath regime: Assad and the post-eternity eraSyrian opposition groups: Time to join forcesInterview with the Syrian writer Samar Yazbek: ''The Syrian revolution has not lost its innocence''
Protest against the Assad regime (photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Civil War and Cultural Protest in Syria

''The Revolution Has Become an Orphan''

As the military conflict in Syria continues to escalate, the commitment of many peace activists and creative professionals in Syria is going more or less unnoticed by the media and in western public consciousness. An essay by Astrid KaminskiMore

Creative Protest against Syria's Regime: The Puppet RebellionArt and Resistance in Syria: Creative AwakeningSyrian Artists Caught between Censorship and Criticism: The Art of Ambiguity
Protest against the Assad regime in Jerusalem (photo: EPA/ABIR SULTAN)

The Syrian Uprising

Assad Will Fall, But What Will Follow?

The Syrian author Rafik Schami is convinced that the 40-year-old dictatorship in Syria is approaching its end, and that there is no going back for the Syrian people. Nevertheless, he is concerned that freedom, once achieved, will only be of short duration. In this essay, Schami calls on the West to support the democratic opposition and on his compatriots to espouse reconciliationMore

Interview with Rafik Schami: ''The Rebellion's Perseverance Surprises Me''Interview with Haitham al-Maleh: ''We Want the Syrian Regime to Be Further Isolated''The Syrian Uprising: A People on the Brink
Rafik Schami (photo: picture alliance/dpa)

Interview with Rafik Schami

''The Rebellion's Perseverance Surprises Me''

In the opinion of the German-Syrian writer Rafik Schami, the Syrian opposition is a temporary "front" that is united only in its desire to topple Assad. As soon as the regime begins to weaken, there is a risk of civil war. Anne Allmeling spoke to Schami about the protests in Syria.More

Syria: The Opposition and the Church: A Slap in the Face for the Pro-Democracy MovementUprising against the Assad Regime in Syria: Is This a Second Libya?