British author donates library to rebuild destroyed collection at Mosul

British author Edmund de Waal says he will donate almost 2,000 books to the Mosul University Library in Iraq to help rebuild its collection, which was partly destroyed by Daesh terrorists in 2015.

His collection library of exile, currently on display at The British Museum, "features the work of writers from over a hundred countries in dozens of languages," a press release said.

De Waal's collection comprises of over a hundred writers who  "have experienced exile, loss and displacement," it added.

After presentations in Venice, Dresden, and London, the exhibit will be transferred to its final home in Iraq with assistance from Book Aid International and the Iraqi Embassy in London.

READ MORE: British Museum to return looted Iraqi and Afghan artefacts

Warburg Institute also receives gift

Alongside de Waal's donation to Iraq, the external walls of the collection will be gifted to The Warburg Institute in London to be "incorporated into the institute’s redesign," the press release said.

The statement said the walls are "painted with liquid porcelain and inscribed with the names of the great lost libraries of the world."

"We are honoured and moved by Edmund’s gift. It will put his library of exile into one of the world’s great exiled libraries; and it will become a visible part of the Warburg Renaissance, a building project that will create new possibilities for artistic partnership and public engagement," Warburg Institute Director, Professor Bill Sherman was quoted as saying.

The British Museum will host a free-event inspired by De Waal's collection on Friday with readings by the artist himself and musical performances.

Following the event The Warburg Institute will receive the walls, with its renovation set to be completed in 2023 — 2024.

READ MORE: Artworks of the Islamic world to be staged at British auction house