Princess Nai and Other Stories

Jamal Saeed wrote the stories in this collection during different stages of his life, but most originated while he was a prisoner of conscience in one of the worst prisons in the world. Other stories were composed after the Syrian uprising in 2011. One story - written in 2009 when he was still in Syria - is about a mythical olive tree that the Syrian military would eventually destroy. Canada plays a role too: Two of the stories were rewritten after his family finally escaped Syria and landed in Kingston, Ontario.

In these stories, reality and imagination coexist, and again and again the reader arrives at the truth by exploring the imaginary. Most of Saeed's pieces include a poetic scene that enables the reader to engage with various characters' fresh dreams (or their scattered and shattered dreams, as the case may be). Love, beauty, despair, hope, the longing for freedom, the search for lost time, and the impact of the past all coexist and vie for supremacy. Here too there is betting on the future (along with mockery of every kind of bet).

In the end, these stories open windows to the inner world of the human soul - and it is also true that every one of Saeed's stories is based upon a solid fact.

Within a framework of poetic realism, these stories - most written in harsh Syrian prisons by a masterful storyteller - are both true and imagined. They remind us that love, freedom, justice, and beauty can endure, even behind bars.


Jamal Saeed spent 12 years as a prisoner of conscience in Syria before being invited to Canada. He continues to raise awareness about Syria's humanitarian crisis through his work as an activist, visual artist, and author. He lives in Kingston, ON. His memoir, My Road from Damascus, was shortlisted for the Hilary Weston Prize.


Sales and Market Bullets






• WRITTEN IN A SYRIAN PRISON: Written during his time in Tadmor Military Prison, Saeed's stories blend fact with imagination, exploring escapism, hope, and harsh realities. Saeed not only smuggled these stories from one prison to another but also from Syria to Canada when he was granted asylum in 2016. These powerful tales reflect his journey as a Syrian-Canadian activist, artist, and author raising awareness of Syria's ongoing crisis.



• AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR: Saeed's memoir, My Road from Damascus, was shortlisted for the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction (2023). His YA book, Yara's Spring, received high praise and many award nominations: Kirkus Reviews, Best Books of 2020; Ontario Library Association, Best Bests, top 10, 2021; Canadian Children's Book Centre, Best Books for Kids & Teens 2021 (starred selection); Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices 2021; Forest of Reading, Red Cedar Book Award 2021 (nominated); Red Maple Award 2021 (nominated); Next Generation Indie Book Award 2021 (shortlist); Indiana Library Federation, Young Hoosier Book Award 2022 (nominated).



• PRAISE FOR MY ROAD FROM DAMASCUS:






• "A lyrical, extremely rich narrative of loss, memory, and trauma." - Kirkus Reviews, starred review



• "This riveting memoir of a Syrian dissident, featuring an outstanding, often musical performance, deserves comparisons to Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning in its ability to find the beauty of human connection in utterly inhumane conditions." - Library Journal, audiobook review



• "Uses a haunting poetic lyricism to probe the depths of brutality committed by a repressive regime … At times bracing and darkly comic, this memoir examines the human psyche under extreme conditions of torture and finds poetry, hope, love, and freedom. Saeed's gift for storytelling and his deeply moving prose allows the reader to follow him wherever he goes." - Writers' Trust jury citation