Francesca Borri (born 1980,

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

) is an Italian journalist whose reportage focuses on armed conflicts in

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

and

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

, and

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

. She initially worked as a human rights advisor before becoming a journalist. One of her books, about jihadists in the

Maldives The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...

, caused controversy and a public backlash in the Maldives. It was shortlisted for the 2017 European Press Prize.

Life

Borri was born in 1980 in Italy. She studied in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

and

Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...

, and has earned a Master of Arts in International Relations, a Master of Arts in Human Rights and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy of Law. Borri initially worked in the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

and the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

as a human rights officer. Her first book ''Non aprire mai'' (2008) was a study of the conflict in

. In 2010, she published a book on the Israel-Palestine conflict titled ''Qualcuno con cui parlare. Israeliani e Palestinesi'' (''Someone to talk to. Israelis and Palestinians''). Borri says that she became a journalist because she felt her writing was getting more attention than her legal work in human rights. In 2012, Borri began reporting from Syria. In 2016, Borri's book on the Syrian civil war, ''La guerra dentro'', was translated by Anne Milano Appel and published by Seven Stories Press under the title ''Syrian Dust''. In 2018, Seven Stories published a second translation of Borri's work, ''Destination Paradise'', about the presence of jihadists in the Maldives. This book, however, generated controversy and received great public backlash from the Maldivian

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community for its "inaccurate" and "racist" representation of their country and people. The book was shortlisted for the 2017 European Press Prize. Borri writes regularly for '' Yedioth Ahronoth'', Israel’s main newspaper, and '' Il Fatto Quotidiano'', ''Internazionale,'' Egyptian Institute for Studies and

Al-Monitor ''Al-Monitor'' is a news website launched in 2012 by the Arab-American entrepreneur Jamal Daniel. Based in Washington, D.C., ''Al-Monitor'' provides reporting and analysis from and about the Middle East. ''Al-Monitor'' is the recipient of the I ...

Works

*''Passaggi / a meridiana', la meridiana, 2008, *''Qualcuno con cui parlare: israeliani e palestinesi'', Manifestolibri, 2010, *''La guerra dentro'', Bompiani, 2014, *''Syrian Dust: Reporting from the Heart of the Battle for Aleppo'', Seven Stories Press, 2015, *''Destination Paradise: Among the Jihadists of the Maldives'', Seven Stories Press, 2017,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Borri, Francesca Italian journalists 1980 births Living people