New Internationalist, the Oxford UK-based independent, non-profit media organization ‘dedicated to socially conscious journalism and publishing’, is to publish a book about the Old City of Jerusalem by the British writer, broadcaster and documentary maker, Matthew Teller.
Provisionally entitled Nine Quarters of Jerusalem the publisher describes it as “ a book of stories to help illuminate a walk – on foot, or in the mind – through the most complicated square-kilometre in the world: the Old City of Jerusalem. It uses individual voices from the Palestinian communities who live – and have lived – inside Jerusalem’s walls to go beneath the headlines, challenge prevailing narratives and paint a new, intimately personal picture of Palestinian diversity.”
New Internationalist bought the title direct from the author. Sales and marketing director Dan Raymond-Barker said: “This is an eye-catching and timely proposal from a writer already strongly established in the field. Fuelling the current taste for creative non-fiction, it goes beyond travel writing to dig deep into this famous but little-understood city’s sense of place, while remaining accessible and appealing for a general readership.”
The title will be published in early 2020 and Raymond-Barker confirmed that Arabic rights are still available. “We spoke to some people at Frankfurt about it and should have some material to send out early next year.”
Teller said: “Palestinian Jerusalem is under intense pressure. Stories from its Indian and West African communities, its Dom Gypsies, its Islamic Sufi mystics, its Syriac and Armenian churches – all these and others are being overlooked. The women who shaped Jerusalem’s architectural legacy. The artists still at work today. Amplifying their voices, helping them to be heard above the clamour, is a privilege. I’m hugely excited by this opportunity.”