Notes on an Exodus

by Richard Flanagan, Ben Quilty (Illustrator)

Notes on the exodus of refugees from Syria, by Man Booker Prize winner Richard Flanagan. With illustrations from Archibald Prize winner Ben Quilty.In January 2016 Richard Flanagan and Ben Quilty travelled to Lebanon, Greece, and Serbia to follow the river that is the exodus of our that of refugees from Syria.Flanagan's 'notes' and Quilty's sketches bear witness to the remarkable people they met on that journey and their stories. These individual portraits from the Man Booker Prize-winning author and Archibald Prize-winning artist combine to form a powerful testament to human dignity and courage in the face of war, death, and suffering.Refugees are not like you and me. They are you and me. That terrible river of the wretched and the damned flowing through Europe is my family.

Genres: Nonfiction, Essays, Australia

50 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 27, 2016

About the author

Richard Flanagan (born 1961) is an author, historian and film director from Tasmania, Australia. He was president of the Tasmania University Union and a Rhodes Scholar. Each of his novels has attracted major praise. His first, Death of a River Guide (1994), was short-listed for the Miles Franklin Award, as were his next two, The Sound of One Hand Clapping (1997) and Gould's Book of Fish (2001). His earlier, non-fiction titles include books about the Gordon River, student issues, and the story of conman John Friedrich.
Two of his novels are set on the West Coast of Tasmania; where he lived in the township of Rosebery as a child. Death of a River Guide relates to the Franklin River, Gould's Book of Fish to the Macquarie Harbour Penal Station, and The Sound of One Hand Clapping to the Hydro settlements in the Central Highlands of Tasmania.

Reviews

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very powerful and personal stories from the Syrian refugee crisis. A small book that packs a tremendous punch.

There was an additional poignancy reading this on the day the veil of secrecy was lifted on the extent of our own human rights abuses in offshore detention centres.

Raghda, a refugee living in a camp in Lebanon says of Daesh, 'Whoever treats humans like they do is not human'.

Really, the way we treat those who seek asylum on our 'boundless plains to share' is also less than human.

Enough is enough is enough.

[Eleanor Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/ 5 stars!
No book has ever made me feel so much despair in only 54 pages.
Flanagan writes beautifully about such a distressing topic. Interviewing refugees fleeing Syria, he shows the emotion and fear of these people so simply, yet so effectively. In its mere 50 pages, this book has made me want to cry, made me feel like I have really gotten to know these people, and has made me desperately want to help these refugees who are fleeing their country, their homes to enter into the unknown losing everything along the way, sometimes even family members.
I recommend this to ANYONE interested in the refugee issue, or simply anyone with a heart. This is a MUST READ for everyone!

[libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

a very short book (it took me a mere 20 minutes to read), but still manages to leave a massive impact and made me shed a few tears as well. It makes me feel terrible about all refugees who have to try and make a living on so little and are so far away from home and their previous lives, but also gives me a glimmer of hope that we can someday soon do something that will help them and stop all the unnecessary conflict that destroys so many peoples' lives.

[Lachlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short and powerful look into the lives of refugees fleeing the devastation in Syria. Well worth a read.

"Refugees are not like you and me. They are you and me. That terrible river if the wretched and the damned flowing through Europe is my family.

And there is no time in the future in which they might be helped. The only time we have is now."

[Calenciaga · Rating 5 out of 5]

"If the Australian government spent one dollar on helping Syrians for every dollar it has spent bombing Syria, it would increase the amount of aid 800%-from an average of $45 million a year over the five years of the Syrian war, to $400 million-the sum we spent in 2015 waging war in Syria."

[Sarah Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

"If you lose your country, tell me where can you find it?"

Flanagan once again manages to express what words often fail to convey, bearing witness to the exodus of refugees from Syria.

Notes on Exodus is an absolutely devastating collection of vignettes that lay bare the tragedy and suffering of the greatest exodus of our age, and helps to connect us with what makes us human.

In such a short essay (52 pages in all), Flanagan yet again shows why his work is Man Booker Prize-winning .

[banana man · Rating 5 out of 5]

It hurts to call it beautiful. It’s painful

[Chrissie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished reading this book...I can't remember the last book I read that made me want to cry after the finishing the first chapter. An incredibly quick, but very moving read. Definitely recommended.

[Annelise Guest · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely devastating collection of vignettes. Reading these stories helps us connect with what makes us human.

I definitely recommend watching the UNHCR spoken word poem 'What They Took With Them' alongside this collection of notes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS-Q2...

[Pip Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should read this little book. It made be weep for the people. Ben Quilty's drawings are so moving - I wish there were more of them.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an utterly bleak, horrible book that absolutely everyone should read.

Flanagan has written a hauntingly sad essay revolving around some of the Syrians he met while visiting refugee camps in 2016.

Whilst very short (I read it in 15 minutes) it packs an emotional punch that cannot be ignored.

I would compel anyone to read this book and not try to understand the world through the lens of the people undertaking 'The Great Exodus', as Flanagan describes so aptly.

At its core, these war-torn, struggling, and beaten people just want to go home.

Unfortunately, this is impossible.

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked up this book at Ben Quilty and Richard Flanagan’s conversation on ‘Home’ - “At its core, these war-torn, struggling, and beaten people just want to go home. Unfortunately, this is impossible”. It is a poignant, honest and impactful compilation of notes and sketches that bear witness to the devastating reality that is the lives of millions of refugees who have fled and continue to flee Syria today. This is a small but powerful book that will stay with you for a very long time and in the climate of today, an essential read.

[Edita Mujkic · Rating 5 out of 5]

In January 2016 Richard Flanagan and Ben Quilty (the illustrator) travelled to Lebanon, Greece, and Serbia to follow the river that is the great exodus of Syrian refugees. This essay is the result of that trip.

A heartbreaking collection of insights into lives of refugees, their nightmares, their daydreams and wishes.

'Refugees are not like you and me. They are you and me. That terrible river of the wretched and damned flowing through Europe is my family. And there is no time in the future in which they might be helped. The only time is now.'

[John Sheahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling.
The subject is stark - brutalised humanity in the plight of Syrian refugees living in appalling conditions. What stands out is the humanity.
I am reminded of the poetry of Wilfred Owen - exquisite poems from the horrors of the trenches in WW1. He too stressed the humanity of his subjects despite their shocking situation.
It takes a special writer to achieve this.
Flanagan offers, in this short essay, a masterclass in human portraiture.

[Jeremy Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Refugees are not like you and me. They are you and me.”
This essay bears witness beautifully and shockingly to the exodus from war-ravaged Syria of its people.
Another essay of Flanagan’s explains why writing of this nature is so critical: his 2016 lecture which lauds the necessity of the leaked Nauru letters to Australia’s national consciousness. It, too, is a must-read.
https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2...

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this to feel humanity and how badly we treat our fellow beings.

[An · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tragedy needs banality

[Kylie Purdie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard Flanagan collects together stories of those fleeing the terror that is Syria. What makes it even more poignant is the way we in Australia are currently treating these people - people who are already scarred and damaged from the atrocities. This stories give us lucky enough to live in Australia just a small idea of what is happening outside the oasis we call home.
If I have any criticism of this book, it is that there are not enough of Ben Quilty's drawings. His pictures capture the refugees simple and moving. I would love to have more of them included.
This quote sums up this small but powerful book:

Refugees are not like you and me. They are you and me. That terrible river if the wretched and the damned flowing through Europe is my family.
And there is no time in the future in which they might be helped. The only time we have is now."

[Peter Barney · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are difficult essays to read but I think they are essential reading. The Syria crisis is creating the great exodus of our time. An "exodus of Old Testament proportions" as the author puts it.

They capture well the tragedy that is unfolding and reminded me that these are people like me. Only there home is currently a war zone.

[Frances Nielsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful, incredibly moving essay about Syrian refugees. No other writing has described so strongly to me the awful plight of people forced to flee their homes, and live in a terrible 'inverted Shangri-La'.
Richard Flanagan's writing is beautiful in its simplicity and Ben Quilty's drawings bring added poignancy.

[Kym Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, just wow. This book can break your heart in the 20 mins it takes to read it. I wish it was prescribed reading. Maybe then the plight of the refugees may be more widely understood. Richard Flanagan's writing was so descriptive and emotive while Ben Quilty's drawings are heartbreaking. I implore you to read this!

[Alan Marr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This will not win the Man Booker because it feels hastily put together. However it is a "must read". The heart rending accounts from ordinary people who were living ordinary lives before things beyond their control went horribly wrong. It's only 50 pages long but its impact will last a long time.

[Mick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even in 51 pages Flanagan manages to draw you in and show you the human cost of the war in Syria.

[Nik McGrath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harrowing. This will scorch my dreams. Help the Syrian refugees by donating to World Vision, Red Cross or your preferred charity.