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An unflinching portrait of a generation fighting for change in Iran, Afghanistan, and Ukraine
In The Fire, acclaimed journalist Cecilia Sala takes readers on a gripping journey through some of the world's most volatile regions, from Eastern Europe to the Middle East. Through the eyes of people like Kateryna, a Ukrainian soldier; Assim, an Iranian student at the forefront of the "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests; Nabila, a queer Muslim kickboxing champion; and Zarifa, a political activist in Afghanistan, Sala offers an intimate portrayal of those fighting for a better life.
By immersing herself in their daily lives and political battles, Sala crafts a poignant narrative that captures the human dimension of some of the world's most intense conflicts. The Fire is a testament to the courage of a generation at the forefront of global change.
About the author
Cecilia Sala is a journalist, war correspondent, and podcaster. Her reporting has appeared in L’Espresso, Vanity Fair, and Wired. She has covered crises in Venezuela, protests in Chile, Iran, the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in August 2021, and the war in Ukraine. On December 19, 2024, she was arrested in Tehran by the Iranian regime and held in solitary confinement in Evin Prison, where she remained for three weeks before being released. Soon after been freed, she returned to reporting from the field, continuing to cover global conflicts and political upheavals.
Oonagh Stransky has been a translator of Italian literature for over 20 years. Some of the writers whose work she has brought into English include Pier Paolo Pasolini, Carlo Lucarelli, Giuseppe Pontiggia, and Roberto Saviano. Her translation of Domenico Starnone’s The House on Via Gemito was longlisted for the 2024 International Booker Prize and shortlisted for the Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize as well as the American Literary Translators Association 2024 Italian Prose in Translation Award. She currently lives in Italy.
