The activist and writer Jamal Saeed discusses his memoir My Road from Damascus (ECW Press, 2022), with Joseph Planta.

My Road From Damascus by Jamal Saeed (ECW Press, 2022). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: My Road from Damascus

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

One of the best reads of the year is the memoir from Jamal Saeed, My Road from Damascus. It’s a stirring, moving, sometimes harrowing account of Mr. Saeed’s life in Syria, years he spent on the run from the al-Assad regimes, as well his imprisonments, including at one of the country’s most notorious military detention centres. We see in the book a chronicle of modern Syria, from the 1950s through to his escape to Canada in 2016. We see how a young man is politicised in a country where that sort of rebellious Marxism and then free thinking isn’t encouraged, and where it garners the attention of the secret police. Jamal’s story is one of survival and courage, as it is of brutality and beauty. He evokes an outlook in life that we can only wish for ourselves, a depth of grace which moves as well as inspires through the book. We also meet his wife Rufaida, their two sons, and read of their journey to Canada, where they arrived six years ago as refugees. I’ll begin the interview by asking Jamal about the late Ray Argyle, a long-time friend of this program, who was one of the people who helped bring Jamal and his family to Kingston, Ontario, where Jamal joined me from last week. Jamal Saeed is an activist, editor, visual artist, and author. This book is published by ECW Press, and was translated by Catherine Cobham. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Jamal Saeed; Mr. Saeed, good morning.

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