Syria and France

Available for over a year

Owen Bennett Jones introduces personal stories, analysis and wit from correspondents around the world. Mark Savage is in northern Lebanon hearing terrible stories of the torture being used in Syria's crackdown; Christine Finn, in Paris, reflects on a renowned bookshop which also served as something of a refuge for many writers. The truth will out For months now, refugees from Syria have been seeking sanctuary in nothern Lebanon. And with Syrian authorities still violently suppressing anti-government protests, that flow of people is unlikely to slow down any time soon. Every day there are new images of police and army brutality posted onto YouTube and circulating around the web. These pictures show what’s happening on the streets. But the refugees themselves can tell you something else - what's happening behind closed doors. Mark Savage has been in the region and heard for himself "endless catalogue of interrogations, beatings, blood and squalor". A truly creative space George Whitman died recently in Paris - and news of his demise raced around the world, in the highest literary circles. You may well never have not heard of the man; but he never sought the limelight for himself - he just ran one of the most-loved book shops in Paris. And soon he will be buried alongside some literary greats such as Colette, Oscar Wilde & Balzac. Christine Finn pays tribute to the man and his shop - Shakespeare and Co.