The Devil You Don’t Know: Going Back to Iraq — Zuhair Al-Jezairy
Iraq is, in the words of Zuhair al-Jezairy in The Devil You Don’t Know, his memoir/reportage of returning there after 25 …
Category Archives: Art & Culture
Saqi Books: History, Fiction and Food from the Middle World
I’ve come across a very lively publisher of Arabic, Farsi and Turkish translations to English, histories of the region, biographies, …
The Map of Love – Ahdaf Soueif, Egypt & England
Adhaf Soueif, of Egptian and British heritage and upbringing has set herself a formidable task in The Map of Love: …
In The Country of Men – Hisham Matar, Libya
The news from Libya this month is increasingly grim. It turns out it is extremely difficult merely to protect civilians. …
Cave of Forgotten Dreams – Werner Herzog
For a wonderful excursion away from the shattering sights and sounds of the here-and-now take a friend and an understanding …
Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes
I’ve had the pleasure of reading (actually, listening to) Bay Area author Tamim Ansary’s Destiny Disrupted: A History of the …
Contemporary Iraqi Fiction
A book of contemporary writers from Iraq should be a welcome corrective to the bias our current notions of Iraq …
The Veil – Ahdaf Soueif, Egypt/U.K.
Ahadaf Soueif, is a Cairo born, Egypt and U.K educated, writer, predominantly of fiction. She got major attention with her …
The Owl and the Sparrow — A Film from Vietnam
There may be no films we watch with more trepidation than those of little girls in dire circumstances. Little boys, …
Don’t Go Near the Water — Johnny Cash
Don’t know how I missed this back when the old man was with us and singing it. Amy Goodman played …
“I Think of You” — Stories from Ahdaf Soueif, Egypt and England
Giving birth in a Muslim hospital where a sign in English reads, ‘Under no circumstance you must be alone with …
The Long Way Back by Fuad al-Takarli: A Novel from Iraq
The ascension of Saddam Hussein to the peak of Iraqi power began in 1958 when a coup led by Brigadier …