Shalash the Iraqi

During and after the Second Iraq War, a pseudonymous blog called "Shalash the Iraqi" emerged as a satirical novel that captured the lives of ordinary Iraqis. The blog posts were passed around and retold orally, inspiring devotion among readers. The novel, filled with humor, poetry, fairy tales, and political commentary, offers a unique perspective on Iraq during a tumultuous time.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 352 pages
Publication date: 02 May 2023
Publisher: And Other Stories

Populated by a cast of imagined con artists, holy fools, drag queens, and partisans – as well as some very factual politicians, priests, and generals – this novel started life as a pseudonymous blog written 'live by 'Shalash during and after the Second Iraq War. Never written to be published, all but lost save for disintegrating printouts treasured by its devotees, Shalash the Iraqi is here presented in its first authorised translation, with the blessing and commentary of 'Shalash himself. The second U.S. invasion of Iraq began in the spring of 2003. By the autumn of 2005, though the Saddam Hussein regime had reached its bloody end, ordinary Iraqis were seeing little improvement in their daily lives. In the midst of this turmoil, a hero arose – or, rather, a jester. In a country where electricity was only intermittently available, a series of blog posts began to appear at a soon-to-be-defunct website and took Baghdad by storm. Individual entries were printed out and passed around for months, until the pages were nearly shredded. Where neither computers nor printers were available, the posts were retold aloud, then passed along at second- and third-hand. What could inspire such devotion? Signed 'Shalash the Iraqi, the posts proved to be nothing less than portions of a madcap serial novel thumbing its nose at Iraq's new normal. From drunken monologues to prayers, from poetry to dirty jokes, from fairy tales and folk stories to pratfall humour, this novel delights readers and sheds light on Iraq in equal measure.

Weight: 274g
Dimension: 197 x 129 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781913505646