Living in Romantic Baghdad: An American Memoir of Teaching and Travel in Iraq, 1924-1947

by Ida Donges Staudt, John Joseph (Editor)

In 1924, an adventurous young couple accepted a commission to open an American school for boys in Baghdad. Setting foot on Iraqi soil the very day that the Constituent Assembly convened in Baghdad to frame a constitution for the new nation, Ida Staudt and her husband Calvin witnessed the birth of this fledgling country. For the next twenty-three years, they taught hundreds of young boys whose ethnicity, religious background, and economic status was as varied as the region itself. Cultivating strong bonds with their students and their families, the Staudts were welcomed into their lives and homes, ranging from the royal palace to refugee huts and Bedouin tents.

In her captivating memoir, Staudt skillfully interweaves the political and historical setting with personal anecdotes, recalling the people she encountered and the places she explored. With vivid descriptions, she relates the complexities of the people, the grandeur of the antiquities, and the beauty of the region’s topography. Living in Romantic Baghdad evokes the city, the villages, and the communities of Iraq, capturing a unique chapter in modern Iraqi history, one marked by pluralism and tolerance, and putting a human face on a largely misunderstood country.

296 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2014

Reviews

[Traci · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an interesting account. It gave me a different perspective on the middle east. It was a memoir that provides a view from a specific set of experiences. I thought it was a really worthwhile read. I was quite engaging and interesting, but the author wasn't an accomplished writer, but rather an educator simply recording her experiences.

[DubaiReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating.

This book swept me back in time to an Iraq that no longer exists, a time of elegance, a time when teachers could meet with heads of state in the opulence of the Embassy.
Ida and Calvin Staudt arrived in Baghdad in 1924. They had been employed to start up an American school for boys, where children from all types of background would mix together, learn to accept each other, speak English and follow an American curriculum.
In turn, Ida and Calvin were invited into the parents' homes, sampling the profuse Iraqi hospitality and meeting people from all walks of life.

They lived in Baghdad for 23 years, until sadly, regime changes necessitated their departure from a land that they loved with all their hearts. During this time they educated hundreds of boys (and a few girls) and instilled them with a profound respect for each other.

Ida Staudt's journal has been reproduced by her son, with only minor clarifications. She tells of her time in Iraq, travels to remote parts of the country, the people she met and the things she saw. History and politics are explained in context, often as the couple lived through events. The country has a wealth of archaeology and historical buildings and the Staudts were fortunate to visit many fascinating sites on their journeys.

This is a unique window in time and my only complaint would be an over emphasis on how the author and her husband were able to visit such important people, yet also get on with the lower classes, a bit too much 'blowing their own trumpet'.
In spite of this, it is a book that I will enjoy re-reading. It is such a shame that it is not more widely known.

[Kara]

Oh Aunt Ida, I tried.
(Will revisit when I have more time.)

[Traci · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book. Not the best written, but interesting.