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Hutchinson is to publish The Raqqa Diaries: Life Inside the Islamic State by Syrian activist Mohammed. The publisher will not disclose the author’s surname in order to protect his identity.
The book grew out of a series of short broadcasts on BBC Radio 4’s “Today” programme, based on the diaries of a young man who is “willing to risk his life” to tell the world what is happening in the Syrian city of Raqqa. “Now one of the most isolated and fear-ridden cities on Earth,” Hutchinson says. None of Raqqa’s inhabitants are allowed to speak to Western journalists or leave the city without the permission of Islamic State—and those who break ISIS’ rules risk being beheaded.
The diaries were encrypted and sent to an itermediate country before being translated into English.
Jocasta Hamilton, publishing director at Hutchinson, acquired world rights directly from the author. Hamilton said: “I was so struck by the power of this first-person voice. We know that the ISIS regime is brutal but this brought home just how horrendous and capricious its rule is. Raw, direct and profoundly affecting, this will be an important book that will grant us unprecedented access to the conditions many Syrians are living under.”
Hutchinson will publish in small-format hardback, with illustrations, later this year.