Afsana Press to launch The Resurrected by Joost Hiltermann on 14 April 2026
- Goran Baba Ali
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
A journey of survival, rising from Saddam’s mass graves, to a haven in Virginia
They were meant to be dead, buried under the sand. But they survived. Two young Kurds manage to miraculously escape Saddam Hussein’s killing grounds to eventually find their way to America. A story of luck, nerve, and perseverance, with many setbacks along the way.
On sale – 14 April 2026
Available now for pre-order
Press Release
10 January 2026
Afsana Press announces the publication in paperback of Joost Hiltermann’s debut novel THE RESURRECTED on 14 April 2026.
Partially based on true events, this novel tells the story of a genocide as remembered by some who lived through it – as victims, perpetrators, and witnesses. By weaving together their testimonies – some true, some false, others imagined – the author paints an enthralling portrait of survival and destiny under the worst of circumstances, the 1988 Anfal campaign in Iraq, and what happened afterwards. In America the survivors build protected but split-soul lives typical of first-generation immigrants – until one day the past comes calling.
“This unconventional, witty, harrowing, compassionate, and engaging novel tells the story of one of the great horrors of the late 20th century, the Anfal campaign against Iraqi Kurds.”
—Nathan Thrall, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Day in the Life of Abed Salama
Chief International Correspondent of the BBC, Lyse Doucet, said: “Joost Hiltermann colourfully reimagines a forgotten story that once shaped our times in an ambitious quilt of compelling tales, cleverly brought together with a novelist’s skill, a scholar’s depth, and the empathy of a journalist who lived this history.”
Co-publisher and editor at Afsana Press, Goran Baba Ali, said: “More than 15 years ago, Joost told me that he was thinking of writing a novel about the survivors of the Anfal Campaign. Then one day, a submission landed in our email inbox. There it was. The Resurrected. Joost, not knowing I was the publisher, said he was looking for and thought he might have found the ‘perfect home’ for his book in Afsana Press. It was one of those moments. I only hoped the book was well-written. How could I reject such a project? But halfway through reading the novel, I knew it was a wonderful literary work as well.”
Commented on the publication of his novel, author Joost Hiltermann said: “It was my incredible luck to find a home for my story at Afsana Press, led by my old friend Goran Baba Ali. He took a chance on me – and on the book. For the longest time, I thought I would not find a publisher for it. I could have lived with that, because mine was a labour of love, stretched out over years.”
“I wrote the book out of frustration. The Anfal campaign happened just before the end of the Cold War, and soon the horrors in Iraqi Kurdistan were overtaken in the public conscience by other world-shaking events. It is my wish that those who perished in Anfal be remembered well beyond Kurdistan. By recording and conveying the voices of those who lived I hope I’m making a small contribution to that objective,” Hiltermann added.
About the author
Joost Hiltermann is a Dutch researcher and writer. He was the Programme Director for the Middle East & North Africa at the International Crisis Group and was previously at Human Rights Watch. Joost holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He has written for The New York Review of Books, The London Review of Books, Foreign Affairs and other publications. He has published two books: A Poisonous Affair: America, Iraq, and the Gassing of Halabja (Cambridge, 2007) and Behind the Intifada: Labor and Women's Movements in the Occupied Territories (Princeton, 1991). The Resurrected is his debut novel. Joost was one of the main researchers of the genocide against the Kurds for Human Rights Watch in the 1990s, culminating in his fictionized retelling of the case. He has remained in close contact with the two (real) survivors and their families to this day.
Cover photo: © Susan Meiselas / Magnum Photos
The printing of this book is partly sponsored by the governor of Sulaimaniyah, Dr Haval Abubakr.
Notes to editors:
THE RESURRECTED (ISBN: 9781068495830) will be available from 14 April 2024 to order via Turnaround, Gardners and all bookshops and online retailers, or directly from Afsana Press (www.afsana-press.com). The book can be pre-ordered now.
For more information or to order an advanced reader copy, please contact:
Goran Baba Ali
Tel: +44 7453918505
The author can be contacted at joosthiltermann@yahoo.com
or +32 470967586 (WhatsApp)
For retail:
Distributor: TURNAROUND
Second Floor, Crown House
47 Chase Side
Southgate
London N14 5BP
T: 020 8829 3000
F: 020 8881 5088
Mnemonic: Turn
About Afsana Press
Afsana Press is an independent publisher producing sparkling literary works by authors whose stories have a direct relation to social, political or cultural issues in countries and communities around the world. The publisher’s mission is to get to the heart of the urgent matters of our time and times past, asking important questions about migration and refugees, the environment, gender, development and social justice. Particular attention will go to the work of authors in exile, and our stories often concern the movement of humans in an ever-shifting world.
Office:
House of Afsana
56-58 The Old Hight Street
CT20 1RN
Folkestone
United Kingdom
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Twitter- @afsana_press
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