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A review by see_reads
Shalash the Iraqi by Shalash
challenging
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Shalash the Iraq is a book that defies characterisation in many ways. By it's very nature it is emphatically not a novel, but the satirical vignettes are more than blog posts (now recorded for posterity) yet not short stories. These tales are delightful, cutting, bitter, unfiltered and occasionally joyful. While having medium knowledge of Iraqi politics in 2003-2006 would be beneficial to get the majority of the jokes, it's not wholly necessary. Indeed, some jokes hold up amid the current Iraqi political climate too...
The greatest achievement of the book is to demonstrate to non-Arabic readers that Iraq in this tumultuous period wasn't just invasion and terrorism, but that its people were and are individuals who have petty greviances and triumphs, who mock and are mocked by their neighbours and electorate. Leafgreen's translation captures the heart of Thawra City's imagined inhabitants while ensuring readability and avoiding preconceptions associated with particular English language accents.
If you're interested in Iraq go read this. If you need help understanding the context Ayub Nuri's Bring Kurdish in a Hostile World, Ghaith Abdul-Ahad's A Stranger in Your Own City, and Rory McCarthy's Nobody Told Us We Are Defeated all cover the period and libraries exist.
The greatest achievement of the book is to demonstrate to non-Arabic readers that Iraq in this tumultuous period wasn't just invasion and terrorism, but that its people were and are individuals who have petty greviances and triumphs, who mock and are mocked by their neighbours and electorate. Leafgreen's translation captures the heart of Thawra City's imagined inhabitants while ensuring readability and avoiding preconceptions associated with particular English language accents.
If you're interested in Iraq go read this. If you need help understanding the context Ayub Nuri's Bring Kurdish in a Hostile World, Ghaith Abdul-Ahad's A Stranger in Your Own City, and Rory McCarthy's Nobody Told Us We Are Defeated all cover the period and libraries exist.