Fadhil Al-Azzawi's Beautiful Creatures

The novel "The Hunger" was written in defiance of the "sanctity of genre" and to raise the question of freedom of expression in writing. It was first published in Arabic in 1969 and is considered an epic in prose, divided into cantos. The author saw it as a new vision of life after Iraq's political experiences, particularly the coup and the Six-Day War. The preface to the original Arabic edition noted that the novel speaks about itself in its own particular way, saying nothing specific so that it can say everything.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 152 pages
Publication date: 03 August 2021
Publisher: Banipal Books

This remarkable work defied the notion of genre sanctity and boldly addressed the issue of freedom of expression in writing. Initially published in Arabic in 1969, it garnered widespread acclaim and has been variously described as a novel or a prose poem. The author himself refers to it as an epic in prose, divided into cantos. In the mid-1960s, Iraq, known for its strict adherence to genre boundaries, found it challenging to envision such an open-ended form where different genres could seamlessly blend and intertwine. For Fadhil al-Azzawi, this creative approach became the cornerstone of a new vision for life following the country's turbulent political experiences, particularly the bloody coup of February 1963 and the devastating defeat in the June 1967 Six-Day War. The preface to the original Arabic edition of the work emphasized its unique nature: "Everything in this open novel returns to itself and acquires its own particular innocence, even in language. Thus, the novel transforms into a poem, play, film, painting, and piece of music all at once, without ever intending to [. . .] It speaks about itself in its own distinctive manner, where it says nothing specific to allow it to say everything."

Weight: 170g
Dimension: 135 x 197 x 15 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781913043100