"A Haunting Tale of War, Survival, and a Boy Turning to Chalk – Safe Corridor, a Prize-Winning Translation of Resilience and Identity."

Safe Corridor by Jan Dost, translated by Marilyn Booth—translator of the 2019 International Booker Prize-winning Celestial Bodies—is a darkly humorous and powerful novel that captures war through Kamiran, a 13-year-old Kurdish boy. Fleeing Afrin with his family, Kamiran undergoes a surreal transformation—his body turning to chalk, a haunting symbol of identity erased by conflict. Blending sharp wit with deep sorrow, the novel explores trauma, displacement, and resilience.