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La trilogie du malentendu
The Sirens of Baghdad
“Yasmina Khadra may well be the most powerful and serious writer in French since his Algerian compatriot Albert Camus.” — Philadelphia Inquirer
The third novel in Yasmina Khadra’s bestselling trilogy about Islamic fundamentalism brings readers into Baghdad.
Forced to leave the University of Baghdad when the Americans invade Iraq, a young man from a small desert village returns home, where he witnesses three events that transform him. First, American soldiers at a checkpoint kill the sweet and beloved “village idiot.” Several days later, an American plane bombs a wedding on the outskirts of the village. And then one night, soldiers looking for terrorists come to the young man’s own home and humiliate his father in full view of the terrified family. Consumed by the desire to avenge this unspeakable act, the youth leaves the village for the city.
Baghdad is going up in flames. The young man searches for a place to stay before being taken in by a radical group and convincing its members that he is willing to do anything to help their cause. After proving his mettle by participating in several attacks, he is sent to Beirut to undertake a super-secret mission that will take him to London. As the time to board the plane nears, he struggles to reconcile his mission with his moral principles.
A masterful and chilling look at violence and its effects on ordinary people, The Sirens of Baghdad probes situations few writers dare examine. Powerfully written like Khadra’s previous novels, it explores the depths of human nature and shows that, even in the most horrific circumstances, good can prevail.
The third novel in Yasmina Khadra’s bestselling trilogy about Islamic fundamentalism brings readers into Baghdad.
Forced to leave the University of Baghdad when the Americans invade Iraq, a young man from a small desert village returns home, where he witnesses three events that transform him. First, American soldiers at a checkpoint kill the sweet and beloved “village idiot.” Several days later, an American plane bombs a wedding on the outskirts of the village. And then one night, soldiers looking for terrorists come to the young man’s own home and humiliate his father in full view of the terrified family. Consumed by the desire to avenge this unspeakable act, the youth leaves the village for the city.
Baghdad is going up in flames. The young man searches for a place to stay before being taken in by a radical group and convincing its members that he is willing to do anything to help their cause. After proving his mettle by participating in several attacks, he is sent to Beirut to undertake a super-secret mission that will take him to London. As the time to board the plane nears, he struggles to reconcile his mission with his moral principles.
A masterful and chilling look at violence and its effects on ordinary people, The Sirens of Baghdad probes situations few writers dare examine. Powerfully written like Khadra’s previous novels, it explores the depths of human nature and shows that, even in the most horrific circumstances, good can prevail.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published May 15, 2006
156 people are currently reading
3278 people want to read
About the author
Yasmina Khadra
62 books1,852 followersYasmina Khadra (Arabic: ياسمينة خضراء, literally "green jasmine") is the pen name of the Algerian author Mohammed Moulessehoul.
Moulessehoul, an officer in the Algerian army, adopted a woman's pseudonym to avoid military censorship. Despite the publication of many successful novels in Algeria, Moulessehoul only revealed his true identity in 2001 after leaving the army and going into exile and seclusion in France. Anonymity was the only way for him to survive and avoid censorship during the Algerian Civil War.
In 2004, Newsweek acclaimed him as "one of the rare writers capable of giving a meaning to the violence in Algeria today."
His novel The Swallows of Kabul, set in Afghanistan under the Taliban, was shortlisted for the 2006 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. L'Attentat won the Prix des libraires in 2006, a prize chosen by about five thousand bookstores in France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Canada.
Khadra pledges for becoming acquainted with the view of the others. In an interview with the German radio SWR1 in 2006, he said “The West interprets the world as he likes it. He develops certain theories that fit into its world outlook, but do not always represent the reality. Being a Muslim, I suggest a new perspective on Afghanistan, on the religious fanaticism and the, how I call it - religiopathy. My novel, the The Swallows of Kabul, gives the readers in the West a chance to understand the core of a problem that he usually only touches on the surface. Because the fanaticism is a threat for all, I contribute to the understanding of the causes and backgrounds. Perhaps then it will be possible to find a way to bring it under control.”
Moulessehoul, an officer in the Algerian army, adopted a woman's pseudonym to avoid military censorship. Despite the publication of many successful novels in Algeria, Moulessehoul only revealed his true identity in 2001 after leaving the army and going into exile and seclusion in France. Anonymity was the only way for him to survive and avoid censorship during the Algerian Civil War.
In 2004, Newsweek acclaimed him as "one of the rare writers capable of giving a meaning to the violence in Algeria today."
His novel The Swallows of Kabul, set in Afghanistan under the Taliban, was shortlisted for the 2006 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. L'Attentat won the Prix des libraires in 2006, a prize chosen by about five thousand bookstores in France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Canada.
Khadra pledges for becoming acquainted with the view of the others. In an interview with the German radio SWR1 in 2006, he said “The West interprets the world as he likes it. He develops certain theories that fit into its world outlook, but do not always represent the reality. Being a Muslim, I suggest a new perspective on Afghanistan, on the religious fanaticism and the, how I call it - religiopathy. My novel, the The Swallows of Kabul, gives the readers in the West a chance to understand the core of a problem that he usually only touches on the surface. Because the fanaticism is a threat for all, I contribute to the understanding of the causes and backgrounds. Perhaps then it will be possible to find a way to bring it under control.”
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 318 reviews
March 21, 2025
I could not see the city lights through the anger of men
Khadra has also written The Dictator’s Last Night (about Gaddafi) and The Attack (about a suicide bomber). While those novels, along with The Sirens of Baghdad, are thrillers in their own way they are also philosophical treatises. Khadra battles with his readership about the ugliness of terrorism, whether it’s perpetrated by a regular army or an irregular one.
🔥 In this story a young man decides to strike back against the American army that has invaded his country in the Iraq War (2003-2011). He joins a cell of the resistance. We are taken into their world and into their thinking and into their methods. But how much violence is too much violence, for the invaded as well as the invader, and how much terror is too much terror? Chosen for a special mission that will wreak unimaginable havoc, this is something the man at the center of the story and the operation must decide before changing his mind is no longer an option.
3.75
Khadra has also written The Dictator’s Last Night (about Gaddafi) and The Attack (about a suicide bomber). While those novels, along with The Sirens of Baghdad, are thrillers in their own way they are also philosophical treatises. Khadra battles with his readership about the ugliness of terrorism, whether it’s perpetrated by a regular army or an irregular one.
🔥 In this story a young man decides to strike back against the American army that has invaded his country in the Iraq War (2003-2011). He joins a cell of the resistance. We are taken into their world and into their thinking and into their methods. But how much violence is too much violence, for the invaded as well as the invader, and how much terror is too much terror? Chosen for a special mission that will wreak unimaginable havoc, this is something the man at the center of the story and the operation must decide before changing his mind is no longer an option.
3.75
October 21, 2007
Anyone who wants to understand why we should get out of Iraq today, every single American soldier, should read this book. To Iraqis, American style democracy is totally irrelevant. We need to understand what IS important to Iraqis to understand the harm we are doing. It also provides a window into the mind of a suicide "bomber".
October 21, 2024
I remember the days when you couldn't listen to the news without hearing about yet another suicide bomber at a checkpoint in Baghdad. What we now know is far from what we were told at the time.
The US occupied Iraq from 2003 to 2011 under the pretence that they were saving the world from weapons of mass destruction. We know now that the US obliged the UN experts to do their dirty work and only when they were certain there was no nuclear weapons in Iraq, they unleashed their military onto the Iraqi population for 8 long years.
This book, with its cast of characters, examines what drives a man living in a Bedouin town no one's heard of into a human bomb.
I couldn't put this down. The more I learn about occupied countries, the more empathy I have with the resistance. To live in your own country and be humiliated daily by an outside force, ugh, it's beyond comprehension.
Five stars.
"The second thing the US knew was that Iraq was the only military force in the region capable of standing up to Israel. Bringing Iraq to its knees would make it possible for Israel to dominate the Middle East. "
Published in 2006.
The US occupied Iraq from 2003 to 2011 under the pretence that they were saving the world from weapons of mass destruction. We know now that the US obliged the UN experts to do their dirty work and only when they were certain there was no nuclear weapons in Iraq, they unleashed their military onto the Iraqi population for 8 long years.
This book, with its cast of characters, examines what drives a man living in a Bedouin town no one's heard of into a human bomb.
I couldn't put this down. The more I learn about occupied countries, the more empathy I have with the resistance. To live in your own country and be humiliated daily by an outside force, ugh, it's beyond comprehension.
Five stars.
"The second thing the US knew was that Iraq was the only military force in the region capable of standing up to Israel. Bringing Iraq to its knees would make it possible for Israel to dominate the Middle East. "
Published in 2006.
February 4, 2013
بينما كنت أبحث في احدى المكتبات عن رواية مميزة اشبع بها غرائزي الأدبية، وقع بين يديّ رواية لشخص يدعى “ياسمينة خضرا”، في بادئ الأمر تتخيل انها كاتبة نسبة إلى الإسم. تصفحت بعض الصفحات بعد أن قرأت مقطعاً طبع على الغلاف الخلفي، الرواية تتناول واقعة سقوط العراق والدخول الاميركي للبلاد على لسان شاب من احدى القرى.
فعد البحث عن الكاتبة عبر المواقع الالكترونية تبين لي ان “ياسمينة خضرا” هو الاسم المستعار للملازم في القوات المسلحة الجزائرية محمد مولسهول، والذي قرر بعد 36 عاماً من الخدمة اعتزال الحياة العسكرية والتفرغ للكتابة.
“أشباح الجحيم” هي الرواية التي وقع اختياري عليها، واحدة من الروايات الثلاث المعروفة بـ “سلسلة فسيفساء” التي أطلقها الكاتب والتي ناقشت الخلافات الاسلامية الغربية في المعتقدات والتصرفات والايديولوجيات، لا سيما في العراق عبر “اشباح الجحيم” وفي فلسطين “الصدمة” وفي افغانستان “سنونوات كابول”. فهو يغوص بشخصياته في عمق التاريخ المعاصر وقضاياه الشائكة، ويناضل من أجل انتصار السلم وتغليب المدنية والحوار الحضاري على الحرب والبربرية.
“اشباح الجحيم” تناقش مأساة ومعاناة العراق وأهله والتداخل المريع بين المقاومة المسلحة وبين العمليات الإرهابية. يدفع الكاتب بأفكاره لتنطلق عبر شخصيته المحورية. شاب من قرية شبه معزولة عن العالم سكانها من أهل البادية تسمى بـ “كفر كرم”، شاب لا اسم له، شخصية بلا هوية، لكنك لا تستطيع تجاهله بأيّ شكل من الأشكال. يشكّل رمزاً لمواطن يحاول المضي بعيداً بجميع الوسائل لإنقاذ وطنه ولإنقاذ نفسه أولاً من ذلك اليأس المخيّم على مواطن لم يكن في حياته إلا المذياع وبعض الرفاق الذين يمضون نهارهم في المقهى عاطلين عن العمل.
تبدأ حكايته من منتصفها، لتنتهي بما لم يكن متوقعا أبدا. البداية، إذن، هي مونولوغ طويل لهذا “المقاوم العراقي” الذي مقت زيف مدينة بيروت، وسئم من احتفالاتها التي لا تنتهي، تلك التي تخلق فرحا سريعا عقب كل حزن ينبت بصورة أسرع.
تتسلح الرواية بحوار شيق وجريء، ويصور حالة البؤس والذل التي يعيشها أصحاب القصه. يصل الكاتب في وصفه إلى أعلى درجات الاثارة لدرجة تشعر انك تعايش اللحظات على ارض الواقع، ولعل نقطة التحول الأساسية في الرواية هي اقتحام الجنود الأميركيين لمنزل الشاب العراقي والحاق المذلة بوالده. فيتحول من قمّة الأمل إلى قمّة اليأس ليبدأ رحلة البحث عن الشرف الضائع في بغداد علّه يسترده. يقبع في بيروت متظراً مهمة “خاصة” ستمحي من الذاكرة اعتداءات 11 سبتمبر، فقط لأنها ستفوقها هولاً.
سلسلة فسيفساء لياسمينة خضرة، هي من أروع السلسلات التي قرأتها في الرواية العربية، فيها من الوجع ما يكفينا لشفاء جروحنا التي سنراها فيما بعد بسيطة أمام جراح الشعوب التي ترزح تحت الاحتلال العسكري، من العراق إلى فلسطين إلى أفغانستان.
فعد البحث عن الكاتبة عبر المواقع الالكترونية تبين لي ان “ياسمينة خضرا” هو الاسم المستعار للملازم في القوات المسلحة الجزائرية محمد مولسهول، والذي قرر بعد 36 عاماً من الخدمة اعتزال الحياة العسكرية والتفرغ للكتابة.
“أشباح الجحيم” هي الرواية التي وقع اختياري عليها، واحدة من الروايات الثلاث المعروفة بـ “سلسلة فسيفساء” التي أطلقها الكاتب والتي ناقشت الخلافات الاسلامية الغربية في المعتقدات والتصرفات والايديولوجيات، لا سيما في العراق عبر “اشباح الجحيم” وفي فلسطين “الصدمة” وفي افغانستان “سنونوات كابول”. فهو يغوص بشخصياته في عمق التاريخ المعاصر وقضاياه الشائكة، ويناضل من أجل انتصار السلم وتغليب المدنية والحوار الحضاري على الحرب والبربرية.
“اشباح الجحيم” تناقش مأساة ومعاناة العراق وأهله والتداخل المريع بين المقاومة المسلحة وبين العمليات الإرهابية. يدفع الكاتب بأفكاره لتنطلق عبر شخصيته المحورية. شاب من قرية شبه معزولة عن العالم سكانها من أهل البادية تسمى بـ “كفر كرم”، شاب لا اسم له، شخصية بلا هوية، لكنك لا تستطيع تجاهله بأيّ شكل من الأشكال. يشكّل رمزاً لمواطن يحاول المضي بعيداً بجميع الوسائل لإنقاذ وطنه ولإنقاذ نفسه أولاً من ذلك اليأس المخيّم على مواطن لم يكن في حياته إلا المذياع وبعض الرفاق الذين يمضون نهارهم في المقهى عاطلين عن العمل.
تبدأ حكايته من منتصفها، لتنتهي بما لم يكن متوقعا أبدا. البداية، إذن، هي مونولوغ طويل لهذا “المقاوم العراقي” الذي مقت زيف مدينة بيروت، وسئم من احتفالاتها التي لا تنتهي، تلك التي تخلق فرحا سريعا عقب كل حزن ينبت بصورة أسرع.
تتسلح الرواية بحوار شيق وجريء، ويصور حالة البؤس والذل التي يعيشها أصحاب القصه. يصل الكاتب في وصفه إلى أعلى درجات الاثارة لدرجة تشعر انك تعايش اللحظات على ارض الواقع، ولعل نقطة التحول الأساسية في الرواية هي اقتحام الجنود الأميركيين لمنزل الشاب العراقي والحاق المذلة بوالده. فيتحول من قمّة الأمل إلى قمّة اليأس ليبدأ رحلة البحث عن الشرف الضائع في بغداد علّه يسترده. يقبع في بيروت متظراً مهمة “خاصة” ستمحي من الذاكرة اعتداءات 11 سبتمبر، فقط لأنها ستفوقها هولاً.
سلسلة فسيفساء لياسمينة خضرة، هي من أروع السلسلات التي قرأتها في الرواية العربية، فيها من الوجع ما يكفينا لشفاء جروحنا التي سنراها فيما بعد بسيطة أمام جراح الشعوب التي ترزح تحت الاحتلال العسكري، من العراق إلى فلسطين إلى أفغانستان.
August 31, 2021
Devastazioni
Iraq del dopo Saddam Hussein. Con la caduta del ra'īs nel 2003, le truppe statunitensi controllano il Paese, che continua tuttavia a essere devastato da esplosioni e attentati. Le città, inclusa la capitale, sono campi di battaglia in cui i morti ormai non si contano più tra i civili, spesso vittime da un lato del fuoco americano e dall'altro degli attacchi (anche suicidi) degli stessi combattenti locali. Dimenticato nel mezzo del deserto iracheno, il villaggio di Kafr Karam è rimasto a lungo incolume al di fuori di tutta quella follia, finché la guerra non irrompe brutalmente anche lì, tra la polvere e la monotonia delle abitudini senza tempo dei suoi abitanti, attraverso i marines con le armi spianate. È da qui che partirà la rabbia feroce di un giovane beduino, pronto a tutto pur di vendicare l'offesa e l'umiliazione subite.
L'abile penna di Yasmina Khadra si concentra stavolta su un altro martoriato angolo di quel Vicino Oriente dove la parola pace – come da lungo tempo ci raccontano le cronache – sembra rivelarsi pura illusione, nonostante i tentativi di esportare democrazia e sicurezza... a suon di bombe.
Come farà poi in Khalil (Sellerio, 2018), lo scrittore algerino scandaglia con cura le devastazioni dell'animo di chi crede di non avere altro mezzo, per porre fine ad abusi e ingiustizie, se non il proprio corpo. Il protagonista, l'io narrante che accompagna il lettore, a Baghdad finisce in una rete terroristica che, ovviamente, di islamico nel senso proprio del termine non ha nulla, nella quale ritrova diversi giovani del suo stesso villaggio, tutta gente prima sfaccendata al vecchio caffè Safir. I personaggi, da quelli principali a quelli secondari, hanno la loro giusta collocazione, contribuendo a rendere la storia narrata più che verosimile; tra quelli più riusciti, Omar il Caporale, un ex militare, a Kafr Karam considerato “un malessere ambulante”. In principio volgare e apparentemente insensibile, sarà però lui a rivolgee al giovane protagonista uno dei discorsi più sensati e di cuore in mezzo alle farneticazioni di gente senza scrupoli:
“Se vuoi combattere, fallo con onestà. Combatti per il tuo Paese, non contro il mondo intero. Non uccidere il primo che passa, non sparare alla cieca. Muoiono più innocenti che farabutti. […] Il mondo non è nostro nemico. Ricorda i popoli che hanno protestato contro la guerra preventiva, i milioni di persone che hanno sfilato a Madrid, Roma, Parigi, Tokyo, in America e in Asia. […] Sono stati più numerosi che nei Paesi arabi. […] Sarebbe atroce fare di ogni erba un fascio. Sequestrare giornalisti, giustiziare membri di Ong che sono in mezzo a noi solo per aiutarci, non è nelle nostre abitudini. Non offendere nessuno. Se pensi che il tuo onore debba essere salvato, non disonorare il tuo popolo. Non cedere alla follia. […]”
Una prosa, quella di Khadra, assai scorrevole nella forma e pesante come un macigno quanto alle tematiche affrontate che trovano saldo appiglio nella crudele e incancrenita realtà del nostro tempo. Un romanzo che si legge d'un fiato, decisamente appassionante e coinvolgente sino alle pagine conclusive, quando con sollievo, nonostante il tragico epilogo, si scopre che briciole di cuore e di speranza resistono alla tempesta più atroce che vorrebbe spazzarle via.
Iraq del dopo Saddam Hussein. Con la caduta del ra'īs nel 2003, le truppe statunitensi controllano il Paese, che continua tuttavia a essere devastato da esplosioni e attentati. Le città, inclusa la capitale, sono campi di battaglia in cui i morti ormai non si contano più tra i civili, spesso vittime da un lato del fuoco americano e dall'altro degli attacchi (anche suicidi) degli stessi combattenti locali. Dimenticato nel mezzo del deserto iracheno, il villaggio di Kafr Karam è rimasto a lungo incolume al di fuori di tutta quella follia, finché la guerra non irrompe brutalmente anche lì, tra la polvere e la monotonia delle abitudini senza tempo dei suoi abitanti, attraverso i marines con le armi spianate. È da qui che partirà la rabbia feroce di un giovane beduino, pronto a tutto pur di vendicare l'offesa e l'umiliazione subite.
L'abile penna di Yasmina Khadra si concentra stavolta su un altro martoriato angolo di quel Vicino Oriente dove la parola pace – come da lungo tempo ci raccontano le cronache – sembra rivelarsi pura illusione, nonostante i tentativi di esportare democrazia e sicurezza... a suon di bombe.
Come farà poi in Khalil (Sellerio, 2018), lo scrittore algerino scandaglia con cura le devastazioni dell'animo di chi crede di non avere altro mezzo, per porre fine ad abusi e ingiustizie, se non il proprio corpo. Il protagonista, l'io narrante che accompagna il lettore, a Baghdad finisce in una rete terroristica che, ovviamente, di islamico nel senso proprio del termine non ha nulla, nella quale ritrova diversi giovani del suo stesso villaggio, tutta gente prima sfaccendata al vecchio caffè Safir. I personaggi, da quelli principali a quelli secondari, hanno la loro giusta collocazione, contribuendo a rendere la storia narrata più che verosimile; tra quelli più riusciti, Omar il Caporale, un ex militare, a Kafr Karam considerato “un malessere ambulante”. In principio volgare e apparentemente insensibile, sarà però lui a rivolgee al giovane protagonista uno dei discorsi più sensati e di cuore in mezzo alle farneticazioni di gente senza scrupoli:
“Se vuoi combattere, fallo con onestà. Combatti per il tuo Paese, non contro il mondo intero. Non uccidere il primo che passa, non sparare alla cieca. Muoiono più innocenti che farabutti. […] Il mondo non è nostro nemico. Ricorda i popoli che hanno protestato contro la guerra preventiva, i milioni di persone che hanno sfilato a Madrid, Roma, Parigi, Tokyo, in America e in Asia. […] Sono stati più numerosi che nei Paesi arabi. […] Sarebbe atroce fare di ogni erba un fascio. Sequestrare giornalisti, giustiziare membri di Ong che sono in mezzo a noi solo per aiutarci, non è nelle nostre abitudini. Non offendere nessuno. Se pensi che il tuo onore debba essere salvato, non disonorare il tuo popolo. Non cedere alla follia. […]”
Una prosa, quella di Khadra, assai scorrevole nella forma e pesante come un macigno quanto alle tematiche affrontate che trovano saldo appiglio nella crudele e incancrenita realtà del nostro tempo. Un romanzo che si legge d'un fiato, decisamente appassionante e coinvolgente sino alle pagine conclusive, quando con sollievo, nonostante il tragico epilogo, si scopre che briciole di cuore e di speranza resistono alla tempesta più atroce che vorrebbe spazzarle via.
August 17, 2016
DNF at 48% The one star reflects the fact that I'm not finishing this because the author is making extremely heavy-handed attempts to manipulate the reader's emotions.
The book is about an Iraqi citizen and his perspective of the American invasion of Iraq. I won't argue that some awful things must have happened because of that invasion but the writer is using things like a mentally ill child being shot down at a check point and a missile falling on a wedding party to show that terrible things happened. The problem that I have is that these are the kinds of things that nobody can look at and say that it isn't tragic. What about the innocents that were killed that weren't so lily white? The author is slapping you into agreeing with him instead of slowly drawing you in with good writing and seducing you into agreeing and seeing that POV.
Clumsy, manipulative writing that caused me to DNF - 1 star.
The book is about an Iraqi citizen and his perspective of the American invasion of Iraq. I won't argue that some awful things must have happened because of that invasion but the writer is using things like a mentally ill child being shot down at a check point and a missile falling on a wedding party to show that terrible things happened. The problem that I have is that these are the kinds of things that nobody can look at and say that it isn't tragic. What about the innocents that were killed that weren't so lily white? The author is slapping you into agreeing with him instead of slowly drawing you in with good writing and seducing you into agreeing and seeing that POV.
Clumsy, manipulative writing that caused me to DNF - 1 star.
February 7, 2017
Irak, ranjen od strane Zapada, ranjen od strane Sadama, ranjen od svojih, naših, vaših i svih ostalih. Irak, kojemu je oduzeta kultura, povijest i pravo da vodi svoj vlastiti život i da čuva svoje ljude, prosjake i intelektualce.
Čije ratove vodimo?
Čije ratove vodimo?
December 15, 2020
I pick up my bag and take one last look at the bedroom, the living room, the sun-splashed window. What am I leaving here? What am I taking away? Will my ghosts follow me? Will my memories be able to manage without me?
*
I gather myself around my thighs and, with my chin wedged between my knees, I contemplate the city. My eyes blur; my tears mutiny. I feel sad. Why? I couldn’t say. My anxieties merge with my memories. My whole life passes through my mind: Kafr Karam, my family, my dead, my living, the people I miss, the ones who haunt me…. Nevertheless, of all my memories, the most recent are the most distinct: that woman in the airport, hopefully examining the screen of her cell phone; that father-to-be who was so happy, he didn’t know which way to turn; that young European couple kissing each other…. They deserved to live for a thousand years. I have no right to challenge their kisses, scuttle their dreams, dash their hopes. What have I done with my own destiny?
*
I gather myself around my thighs and, with my chin wedged between my knees, I contemplate the city. My eyes blur; my tears mutiny. I feel sad. Why? I couldn’t say. My anxieties merge with my memories. My whole life passes through my mind: Kafr Karam, my family, my dead, my living, the people I miss, the ones who haunt me…. Nevertheless, of all my memories, the most recent are the most distinct: that woman in the airport, hopefully examining the screen of her cell phone; that father-to-be who was so happy, he didn’t know which way to turn; that young European couple kissing each other…. They deserved to live for a thousand years. I have no right to challenge their kisses, scuttle their dreams, dash their hopes. What have I done with my own destiny?
June 12, 2022
Η ιστορία ενός ανθρώπου που αγαπούσε την ειρήνη,τον τόπο και τις παραδόσεις του.Η ιστορία του πώς ο πόλεμος, η τρομοκρατία,η τυφλή αγανάκτηση και το θρησκευτικό μίσος μπορούν να μετατρέψουν έναν απλό άνθρωπο σε φονική μηχανή. Ταυτόχρονα,είναι μια διεισδυτική ματιά στον τρόπο που οι μεγάλες δυνάμεις χειρίστηκαν,οργάνωσαν,έθρεψαν και εκμεταλλεύτηκαν την πολιτική κατάσταση στο Ιράκ με σκοπό να βάλουν χέρι στον πλούτο του ωθώντας τον απλό κόσμο του να γίνεται έρμαιο απονενοημένων συμπεριφορών.
Ελαφρώς υποδεέστερο των Χελιδονιών της Καμπούλ - 4/5
Ελαφρώς υποδεέστερο των Χελιδονιών της Καμπούλ - 4/5
June 13, 2013
Without a doubt you must read this book to understand how easily young people are recruited into the ranks of terrorists and suicide bombers. If you take an interest in current affairs in the Middle East you will readily see how the West and the attitude of some soldiers, especially trigger-happy GIs, only make matters worse. It is a powerful novel, well written and persuasive in its arguments. It is highly topical, whether Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, or even future Iran, but it is also the story of every young man whose hopes of a good life are suddenly dashed by world events and unforeseen circumstances which turn his world upside down. It is also the story of pointless killing and civil war which bedevils so many communities who live together but are divided by tribal, religious or political ideologies. A sad indictment on misplaced human loyalties, but it ends, as novels can, on a more positive note. Perhaps.
December 9, 2020
رواية رائعة.
هذا العمل الثاني الذي قرأته للكاتب بعد سنونوات كابول ولن يكون الأخير!
هذا العمل الثاني الذي قرأته للكاتب بعد سنونوات كابول ولن يكون الأخير!
June 8, 2021
Isti pisac koji je napisao divnu knjigu "Šta dan duguje noći", ali sada pisac sa tezom. Kako je veliko nerazumevanje arapskog i islamskog sveta na Zapadu i kako je lako od običnog, pametnog, osećajnog mladića stvoriti bombaša samoubicu. Nisam impresionirana načinom kako je ova teza uobličena u knjigu. Piše pravolinijski, crta mi sve na dlanu, sve je otkriveno i jasno.
Knjiga mi se preklapa sa onom strašnom "Faudom", serijom o izraelskoj i palesetinskoj sadašnjosti na netflixu, koju gledam u isto vreme, i sa vestima iz Izraela koje mi stižu sa svakog ekrana kojeg se prihvatim. Možda sam nepravedna prema "Sirenama u Bagdadu", možda je knjiga bolja nego šta ja u ovom trenutku mogu da prihvatim.
Knjiga mi se preklapa sa onom strašnom "Faudom", serijom o izraelskoj i palesetinskoj sadašnjosti na netflixu, koju gledam u isto vreme, i sa vestima iz Izraela koje mi stižu sa svakog ekrana kojeg se prihvatim. Možda sam nepravedna prema "Sirenama u Bagdadu", možda je knjiga bolja nego šta ja u ovom trenutku mogu da prihvatim.
February 10, 2020
"I needed to come unglued,
to explode
like a bomb,
to be useful
somehow."
A must read!
to explode
like a bomb,
to be useful
somehow."
A must read!
May 28, 2018
ان تستولي عليك فكرة الانتقام يعني ان تبيع روحك للشيطان
ان تتجرد من انسانيتك ، ان ترمي مشاعرك جانبا قبل الخوض في عالم الاجرام
تتناول الرواية قضية حرب العراق والتهميش الذي يتعرض له الشعب ،من قتل واعتقال
واغتصاب للكرامة والشرف .من هنا وُلدت فكرة الانتقام لبطلنا الذي ينضم
للجماعات الاسلامية "داعش في وقتنا هذا" التي توهم الشعب ان الدين وحب الوطن اساسياتها
الحرب لا تقتل الانسان فقط،الحرب تقتل الفكر وتضرم النار في العقول
ياسمينة خضرا اكثر الادباء الذين افتخر انهم من ابناء بلدي ،اسلوب وفكرة وسلاسة احداث
ان تتجرد من انسانيتك ، ان ترمي مشاعرك جانبا قبل الخوض في عالم الاجرام
تتناول الرواية قضية حرب العراق والتهميش الذي يتعرض له الشعب ،من قتل واعتقال
واغتصاب للكرامة والشرف .من هنا وُلدت فكرة الانتقام لبطلنا الذي ينضم
للجماعات الاسلامية "داعش في وقتنا هذا" التي توهم الشعب ان الدين وحب الوطن اساسياتها
الحرب لا تقتل الانسان فقط،الحرب تقتل الفكر وتضرم النار في العقول
ياسمينة خضرا اكثر الادباء الذين افتخر انهم من ابناء بلدي ،اسلوب وفكرة وسلاسة احداث
January 6, 2013
Através da voz de um jovem beduíno, que vive numa aldeia iraquiana durante a invasão americana, tentei compreender o que motiva os jovens que se fazem explodir destruindo a sua vida e a dos seus semelhantes.
Não sei se compreendi. Apenas uma questão me coloco: “Que serei eu capaz de fazer para defender aquilo em que acredito?”
Não sei se compreendi. Apenas uma questão me coloco: “Que serei eu capaz de fazer para defender aquilo em que acredito?”
October 12, 2012
أرجأت كتابة رأيي في الكتاب لا أدري لماذا، بالأمس حلمت بالشخصيات، عشت أحداث الرواية والفيروس الذي حقن به البطل!
واضح أنني تأثرت بالكتاب، ياسمينا خضرا روائي رائع، عبقري وله أسلوب فريد ومشوق.
هذه الرواية الخامسة التي أقرؤها له، ولم أجد كتبا مترجمة الى العربية غير هذه الكتب..
أعود الى الرواية.. هي عن شاب عراقي دفعه شعوره بالعار الى الهروب من قريته الهادئة في الصحراء الى بغداد رغبة في استرداد شرفه بالانتقام من الامريكان، من العالم كله..
ضايقتني الترجمة في بعض الفقرات، بدت لي كأنها ترجمة حرفية وذلك أمر مستغرب لان تمكن المترجم واضح في الكتاب عموما وفي روايات اخرى لياسمينا..
مع هذا القصة جميلة، مليئة بالتشويق والترقب..
July 24, 2022
Le Sirene di Baghdad
Di fronte a chi calpesta la dignità e l’onore di un popolo orgoglioso, legato alle sue tradizioni, l’unica risposta sembra essere l’odio e il fondamentalismo. Spingersi all’estremo per ritrovare un senso alla propria vita, un ideale che ti faccia andare avanti nonostante le tenebre che ti circondano.
“Eravamo poveri, umili, ma in pace. Fino al giorno in cui la nostra intimità fu violata, i nostri tabù profanati, la nostra dignità trascinata nel fango e nel sangue… Fino al giorno in cui, nei giardini di Babilonia, selvaggi bardati di granate e manette sono venuti a insegnare ai poeti a diventare uomini liberi…”
Il giovane protagonista di questo romanzo vivrà sulla sua pelle le conseguenze di una guerra assurda. Vedrà con i suoi occhi cosa si è disposti a fare quando la vita del prossimo è considerata spazzatura. Dal piccolo villaggio di Kafr Karam, placido e sonnacchioso, si recherà a Baghdad con un unico desiderio: Vendetta! Ciò che lo muove non è il desiderio di liberare il suo popolo, o combattere per difendere i suoi cari dai soprusi, ma vendicare il suo onore e quello della sua famiglia, calpestato senza pietà. A muoverlo l’odio, un odio senza limiti che lo consumerà.
“La dignità non si mercanteggia. Se la perdiamo i sudari del mondo intero non basterebbero a coprirci il volto, nessuna tomba accoglierebbe la nostra carogna senza spaccarsi”
Yasmina Khadra, pseudonimo di Mohamed Moulessehoul, con il suo ritmo incalzante (che ho molto apprezzato nel romanzo l’Attentato), torna a parlare di Medio Oriente, a dare voce a un popolo che troppo spesso si scontra con la sordità dell’occidente. L’invito è quello di guardare ciò che è successo, e sta succedendo, in Iraq da un'altra prospettiva per cercare di capire, se possibile, che non esistono vincitori né vinti quando si parla di guerra.
“Cosa possono capire del nostro mondo… Ignorano i nostri costumi, i nostri sogni e le nostre preghiere. Ignorano soprattutto che sappiamo di chi siamo figli, che la nostra memoria è intatta... Cosa sanno della Mesopotamia, di questo Iraq leggendario che calpestano con i loro ranger corrotti? Della Torre di Babele, dei giardini pensili, di Harun al-Rashid, delle Mille e una notte? Niente! Non considerano mai questo aspetto della Storia, nel nostro Paese non vedono nient’altro che un immenso pozzo di petrolio, dove berranno il nostro sangue fino all’ultima goccia. Non vivono nella Storia. Mirano solo a trarre vantaggio, arricchirsi, depredare. Non sono che mercenari al soldo della finanza bianca. Hanno ridotto tutti i valori a una terrificante questione di soldi, tutte le virtù a quelle del profitto…”
Di fronte a chi calpesta la dignità e l’onore di un popolo orgoglioso, legato alle sue tradizioni, l’unica risposta sembra essere l’odio e il fondamentalismo. Spingersi all’estremo per ritrovare un senso alla propria vita, un ideale che ti faccia andare avanti nonostante le tenebre che ti circondano.
“Eravamo poveri, umili, ma in pace. Fino al giorno in cui la nostra intimità fu violata, i nostri tabù profanati, la nostra dignità trascinata nel fango e nel sangue… Fino al giorno in cui, nei giardini di Babilonia, selvaggi bardati di granate e manette sono venuti a insegnare ai poeti a diventare uomini liberi…”
Il giovane protagonista di questo romanzo vivrà sulla sua pelle le conseguenze di una guerra assurda. Vedrà con i suoi occhi cosa si è disposti a fare quando la vita del prossimo è considerata spazzatura. Dal piccolo villaggio di Kafr Karam, placido e sonnacchioso, si recherà a Baghdad con un unico desiderio: Vendetta! Ciò che lo muove non è il desiderio di liberare il suo popolo, o combattere per difendere i suoi cari dai soprusi, ma vendicare il suo onore e quello della sua famiglia, calpestato senza pietà. A muoverlo l’odio, un odio senza limiti che lo consumerà.
“La dignità non si mercanteggia. Se la perdiamo i sudari del mondo intero non basterebbero a coprirci il volto, nessuna tomba accoglierebbe la nostra carogna senza spaccarsi”
Yasmina Khadra, pseudonimo di Mohamed Moulessehoul, con il suo ritmo incalzante (che ho molto apprezzato nel romanzo l’Attentato), torna a parlare di Medio Oriente, a dare voce a un popolo che troppo spesso si scontra con la sordità dell’occidente. L’invito è quello di guardare ciò che è successo, e sta succedendo, in Iraq da un'altra prospettiva per cercare di capire, se possibile, che non esistono vincitori né vinti quando si parla di guerra.
“Cosa possono capire del nostro mondo… Ignorano i nostri costumi, i nostri sogni e le nostre preghiere. Ignorano soprattutto che sappiamo di chi siamo figli, che la nostra memoria è intatta... Cosa sanno della Mesopotamia, di questo Iraq leggendario che calpestano con i loro ranger corrotti? Della Torre di Babele, dei giardini pensili, di Harun al-Rashid, delle Mille e una notte? Niente! Non considerano mai questo aspetto della Storia, nel nostro Paese non vedono nient’altro che un immenso pozzo di petrolio, dove berranno il nostro sangue fino all’ultima goccia. Non vivono nella Storia. Mirano solo a trarre vantaggio, arricchirsi, depredare. Non sono che mercenari al soldo della finanza bianca. Hanno ridotto tutti i valori a una terrificante questione di soldi, tutte le virtù a quelle del profitto…”
June 15, 2019
Yasmina Khadra isn't the author's real name: the Algerian writer, then an army officer, took two of his wife's names as a pseudonym when he began to get threats from his superiors as he published increasingly-searching fiction.
One can see why authorities might be upset. This novel is the second in a trilogy about terrorism of various sorts. It takes place sometime after Saddam Hussein was deposed, and the sirens are both those that the unnamed narrator here in the streets of Baghdad and the city's many attractions. A young man destined for a professional career, he first left Baghdad and his studies because of unrest, but then returns when his village is attacked and his father humiliated by American GIs.
Why the narrator gets involved in a terrorist plot is convincingly explained: you understand his chagrin and anger, and see how one step leads to another on the road to an apocalyptic event. When on of my library discussion groups read it, they--a group of women who are far from radical--were swept up in the story. Indeed, they gave it the highest rating of any book we read and discussed in the 2018-2019 season.
Khadra writes in French, which is the language my bookie friends read it in, and they were taken by the poesy of his language as well as the authenticity of his dialogues. The combination is rarer in French literature than in English, because too often a desire to be taken seriously seduces French-language writers into making dialogues more stilted than any actually spoken by real people. I haven't read the English translation so I can't comment on how well that delicate balance was rendered by the translator. But for an engaging story about a serious topic told with quite a bit of suspense, read it!
One can see why authorities might be upset. This novel is the second in a trilogy about terrorism of various sorts. It takes place sometime after Saddam Hussein was deposed, and the sirens are both those that the unnamed narrator here in the streets of Baghdad and the city's many attractions. A young man destined for a professional career, he first left Baghdad and his studies because of unrest, but then returns when his village is attacked and his father humiliated by American GIs.
Why the narrator gets involved in a terrorist plot is convincingly explained: you understand his chagrin and anger, and see how one step leads to another on the road to an apocalyptic event. When on of my library discussion groups read it, they--a group of women who are far from radical--were swept up in the story. Indeed, they gave it the highest rating of any book we read and discussed in the 2018-2019 season.
Khadra writes in French, which is the language my bookie friends read it in, and they were taken by the poesy of his language as well as the authenticity of his dialogues. The combination is rarer in French literature than in English, because too often a desire to be taken seriously seduces French-language writers into making dialogues more stilted than any actually spoken by real people. I haven't read the English translation so I can't comment on how well that delicate balance was rendered by the translator. But for an engaging story about a serious topic told with quite a bit of suspense, read it!
April 15, 2017
مدهش! لم اقرأ منذ مدة.. كان هذا كتابا بحق.
أول تجربة لي مع ياسمينة خضرا
استعرت هذا الكتاب كن مكتبة الثانوية على مضض تحت الحاح المكتبية التي قالت انه يجب أن اجرب ياسمينة .. حسنا، لا أثق في ذوقها.. لا أثق في ذوق من يعتبرون "ذاكرة الجسد" أفضل كتاب في الكون!!
المهم، هذه الرواية كشفت لي الكثير عن "كوكب" العراق..
يا الهي كم بتت احب العراق 😍
-
سأترك كتابة ريفيو معمق الى ما بعد الباكالوريا..
(استمر بتأجيل كل شيء الى ما بعد الباك!)
أول تجربة لي مع ياسمينة خضرا
استعرت هذا الكتاب كن مكتبة الثانوية على مضض تحت الحاح المكتبية التي قالت انه يجب أن اجرب ياسمينة .. حسنا، لا أثق في ذوقها.. لا أثق في ذوق من يعتبرون "ذاكرة الجسد" أفضل كتاب في الكون!!
المهم، هذه الرواية كشفت لي الكثير عن "كوكب" العراق..
يا الهي كم بتت احب العراق 😍
-
سأترك كتابة ريفيو معمق الى ما بعد الباكالوريا..
(استمر بتأجيل كل شيء الى ما بعد الباك!)
July 11, 2015
En “Las sirenas de Bagdag”, Yasmina Khadra (seudónimo de un ex coronel del ejército argelino) narra la vida de un joven iraquí que se ve arrastrado hacia el punto caliente del conflicto tras la invasión de su país, donde, finalmente, decide unirse al bando de los insurgentes ante la brutalidad mostrada por las fuerzas invasoras.
A través de un relato crudo e impactante, pero no exento de belleza y ternura, el autor te invita a reflexionar sobre la perversión de los extremos, a solidarizarte con un pueblo que sufre más allá de lo humanamente posible, y a no prejuzgar sin antes escuchar a ambas partes.
Las atrocidades de uno y otro bando, y la desesperación final, hacen que el protagonista opte por unirse a los terroristas, sabiendo de antemano que, haga lo que haga, su decisión nada va a cambiar, pues la maldad humana va más allá de todo entendimiento.
No es, ni mucho menos, la típica lectura ligera de verano, pues te deja con una sensación de amargura y de pesimismo. Muy bien escrita. Muy recomendable, sobre todo, a lectores de escritores como Khaled Hosseini y similares.
A través de un relato crudo e impactante, pero no exento de belleza y ternura, el autor te invita a reflexionar sobre la perversión de los extremos, a solidarizarte con un pueblo que sufre más allá de lo humanamente posible, y a no prejuzgar sin antes escuchar a ambas partes.
Las atrocidades de uno y otro bando, y la desesperación final, hacen que el protagonista opte por unirse a los terroristas, sabiendo de antemano que, haga lo que haga, su decisión nada va a cambiar, pues la maldad humana va más allá de todo entendimiento.
No es, ni mucho menos, la típica lectura ligera de verano, pues te deja con una sensación de amargura y de pesimismo. Muy bien escrita. Muy recomendable, sobre todo, a lectores de escritores como Khaled Hosseini y similares.
July 20, 2019
Fascinante este olhar sobre um jovem iraquiano e o modo como é impelido a revoltar-se. Para entender choques civilizacionais e pensar melhor o mundo.
October 21, 2011
We were poor, common people, but we were at peace. Until the day when our privacy was violated, our taboos broken, our dignity dragged through mud and gore ... until the day when brutes festooned with grenades and handcuffs burst into the gardens of Babylon, come to teach poets how to be free men ...
We're honest by vocation.
My father had suddenly turned into an old man. His village-elder aura had vanished; his look of command had no more vigor and no more range.
The world is run by the forces of international finance, for which peace is equivalent to layoffs.
It's true that we're reaping what we sowed: the fruit of our broken oaths.
We remained candied in our little autistic happiness, gaping wide-eyed into space or twiddling our thumbs.
A brute is still a brute, even when he smiles; the eyes are where the soul declares its true nature.
You behave exactly the way they do. They stare at their navels; you stare at your biceps.
I wasn't a weakling; I simply hated violence.
... how flimsy our certainties.
You don't pass from jubiliation to grief in the blink of an eye. LIfe, even though it often hangs by a mere thread, isn't a conjuring trick.
Like a piece of wreckage, I let myself drift wherever the waves took me. There was nothing left to salvage.
... he looked at me from the bottom of disgrace.
If you haven't lost your mind yet, that's because you haven't seen very much.
"They think all Arabs are retarted ... Imagine: Arabs, the most fabulous creatures on earth. We taught the world table manners; we taught the world hygeine and cooking and mathematics and medicine."
Dignity can't be negotiated.
"All they see in our country is an immense pool of petroleum, which they intend to lap dry, even if it costs the last drop of our blood, too. They're bonanza seekers, looters, despoilers, mercenaries. They've reduced all values to the single dreadful question of cash, and the only birtue they recognize is profit. They're ready to march over the body of Christ if they think it'll help fill their pockets. And if you aren't willing to go along with them, they haul out the heavy machinery."
"All nations are victims of the avarice of a handful of multinational companies."
If you want to avenge an offense, don't commit one.
... galloping impoverishment
I was born again as someone else, someone hard, cold, implacable. My hands didn't tremble. My heart beat normally.
It was the age-old story: When you can't make sense of your misfortune, you invent a culprit for it.
"I'd rather be satisfied with nothing than mess up everything. As long as my sorrow doesn't impoverish anyone, it enriches me. There's no wretch like the wretch who chooses to bring misfortune where he should bring life."
"The light of my conscience. No shadow can obscure it."
We're honest by vocation.
My father had suddenly turned into an old man. His village-elder aura had vanished; his look of command had no more vigor and no more range.
The world is run by the forces of international finance, for which peace is equivalent to layoffs.
It's true that we're reaping what we sowed: the fruit of our broken oaths.
We remained candied in our little autistic happiness, gaping wide-eyed into space or twiddling our thumbs.
A brute is still a brute, even when he smiles; the eyes are where the soul declares its true nature.
You behave exactly the way they do. They stare at their navels; you stare at your biceps.
I wasn't a weakling; I simply hated violence.
... how flimsy our certainties.
You don't pass from jubiliation to grief in the blink of an eye. LIfe, even though it often hangs by a mere thread, isn't a conjuring trick.
Like a piece of wreckage, I let myself drift wherever the waves took me. There was nothing left to salvage.
... he looked at me from the bottom of disgrace.
If you haven't lost your mind yet, that's because you haven't seen very much.
"They think all Arabs are retarted ... Imagine: Arabs, the most fabulous creatures on earth. We taught the world table manners; we taught the world hygeine and cooking and mathematics and medicine."
Dignity can't be negotiated.
"All they see in our country is an immense pool of petroleum, which they intend to lap dry, even if it costs the last drop of our blood, too. They're bonanza seekers, looters, despoilers, mercenaries. They've reduced all values to the single dreadful question of cash, and the only birtue they recognize is profit. They're ready to march over the body of Christ if they think it'll help fill their pockets. And if you aren't willing to go along with them, they haul out the heavy machinery."
"All nations are victims of the avarice of a handful of multinational companies."
If you want to avenge an offense, don't commit one.
... galloping impoverishment
I was born again as someone else, someone hard, cold, implacable. My hands didn't tremble. My heart beat normally.
It was the age-old story: When you can't make sense of your misfortune, you invent a culprit for it.
"I'd rather be satisfied with nothing than mess up everything. As long as my sorrow doesn't impoverish anyone, it enriches me. There's no wretch like the wretch who chooses to bring misfortune where he should bring life."
"The light of my conscience. No shadow can obscure it."
August 11, 2016
What kind of person does it take to become a suicide bomber for the jihadists? Can they be "saved" from their ultimate peril? This historical novel is one look at the life of such a person from his point of view.
The narrator grows up in a village in Iraq. He is lucky to go to University in Baghdad until the war starts and he returns to his village. Nothing much happens in the village even during the war, but there are three events that cause the sky to fall on him. Because of these events he goes to Baghdad. Eventually he is trained to become a suicide bomber. Does he get on that plane to London or not?
The author was an Algerian military officer but couldn´t use his own name to write his novel unless he wanted the military to review/censor his work. He uses a pen name, Yasmina Khadra, which happens to be his wife´s maiden name.
This is a good look at the Iraqi war, not from the military/political standpoint, but from the innocent standbyers who are the victims of the collateral damage.
The narrator grows up in a village in Iraq. He is lucky to go to University in Baghdad until the war starts and he returns to his village. Nothing much happens in the village even during the war, but there are three events that cause the sky to fall on him. Because of these events he goes to Baghdad. Eventually he is trained to become a suicide bomber. Does he get on that plane to London or not?
The author was an Algerian military officer but couldn´t use his own name to write his novel unless he wanted the military to review/censor his work. He uses a pen name, Yasmina Khadra, which happens to be his wife´s maiden name.
This is a good look at the Iraqi war, not from the military/political standpoint, but from the innocent standbyers who are the victims of the collateral damage.
March 16, 2021
The author is actually an Algerian man, who uses a female pseudonym. "The Sirens of Baghdad" is supposed to give readers a glimpse into the mind of a "suicide bomber" (if you can even call him that). Unfortunately the writing was horrendous and manipulative. Furthermore, having recently read Sinan Antoon's masterpiece The Corpse Washer, I found this story too simplistic and inauthentic. The way the author decided to introduce the characters was a mess. There were too many clichés in this story, I'm surprised this book got published.
Waste of time really. I don't recommend this book to anyone.
Waste of time really. I don't recommend this book to anyone.
August 10, 2015
This book is just devastating! The end had me too weepy to actually read. The story begins in a Beirut hotel where the unnamed narrator is about to carry out a mission he refers to as “the greatest operation ever carried out on enemy territory.” We learn that he was a university student from a small village in Iraq but after the invasion the university closes and her returns to his small village. For awhile life is as it has always been. He is restless and wishes he could return to school or at least find work but then reminds himself that at least the war has not affected his village. Then things change.
Following the killing of a mentally handicapped village boy by soldiers at a checkpoint and the then the bombing of a wedding party, young men from the village grow increasingly restless and begin leaving for Baghdad, hoping to fight back. The narrator grows increasingly frustrated. When his family home is invaded and his father humiliated in front of the family, he can no longer bear it and he too leaves for Baghdad. At first he tries to lead a normal life but conditions there make that impossible. He winds up on the street and after weeks of being homeless he discovers his cousin Sayed has a prosperous business selling appliances. Sayed takes him in and gives him a job. In no time the narrator discovers that his cousin's appliance business is a front for much more dangerous operations, which he is ultimately recruited into.
One of the things I found most touching about this story was the way the young men of the village, trying to make sense of the invasion, cling to the belief that sooner or later the West will understand the beauty of their culture and leave them alone. They cannot believe that technology and capitalism are any match for their long history of art, music, mathematics, and creativity. They say, “when the West realizes how much beauty we have, they will leave us alone.”
The ending of this book is just shattering. I won't ruin it for other readers but let me say that the mission he eventually undertakes is so horrible and the reason for his ultimate decision is so beautiful it just tore at my heart. I will not forget this book for a very long time.
Following the killing of a mentally handicapped village boy by soldiers at a checkpoint and the then the bombing of a wedding party, young men from the village grow increasingly restless and begin leaving for Baghdad, hoping to fight back. The narrator grows increasingly frustrated. When his family home is invaded and his father humiliated in front of the family, he can no longer bear it and he too leaves for Baghdad. At first he tries to lead a normal life but conditions there make that impossible. He winds up on the street and after weeks of being homeless he discovers his cousin Sayed has a prosperous business selling appliances. Sayed takes him in and gives him a job. In no time the narrator discovers that his cousin's appliance business is a front for much more dangerous operations, which he is ultimately recruited into.
One of the things I found most touching about this story was the way the young men of the village, trying to make sense of the invasion, cling to the belief that sooner or later the West will understand the beauty of their culture and leave them alone. They cannot believe that technology and capitalism are any match for their long history of art, music, mathematics, and creativity. They say, “when the West realizes how much beauty we have, they will leave us alone.”
The ending of this book is just shattering. I won't ruin it for other readers but let me say that the mission he eventually undertakes is so horrible and the reason for his ultimate decision is so beautiful it just tore at my heart. I will not forget this book for a very long time.
May 2, 2014
The novel purpots to get the reader inside the mind of a suicide bomber. The intention is interesting, but it fails on execution, .
I found the dialogues to be contrived. They come off as though spoken for some generic western reader whose image of the Middle East is fraught with caricature.
Here's an example:
In fact, the characters often remark on being depicted as caricatures, which is ironic because the "west" is just as blithely depicted in caricature.
My main criticism, though, is that I don't find it believable that someone will suddenly go from pacifist to suicide bomber because .
There are some interesting character developments and the plot is at times quite suspenseful, but overall it didn't work for me, and the ending is something of a cop-out.
I found the dialogues to be contrived. They come off as though spoken for some generic western reader whose image of the Middle East is fraught with caricature.
Here's an example:
“If the West could only understand our music, if it could even just listen to us sing, if it could hear our soul in the voices of Sabah Fakhri and Wadi es-Safi and Abdelwaheb and Asmahan and Umm Kulthum—if it could commune with our world—I think it would renounce its cutting-edge technology, its satellites, and its armies and follow us to the end of our art….”
In fact, the characters often remark on being depicted as caricatures, which is ironic because the "west" is just as blithely depicted in caricature.
My main criticism, though, is that I don't find it believable that someone will suddenly go from pacifist to suicide bomber because .
There are some interesting character developments and the plot is at times quite suspenseful, but overall it didn't work for me, and the ending is something of a cop-out.
October 19, 2009
If you haven't read this book, put it on the top of the stack! What is truth? What causes war? How can we come to a place of common ground? This novel reads with authenticity from the point of view of a young Bedouin man in Iraq. The remote, small village runs smoothly with respect and ancient patterns. After the Americans begin bombing, everything changes. Terrorized by senseless violence, he travels to Baghdad in search of revenge.
This is on my list of anti-war books, starting decades ago with "Johnny Got His Gun" by Dalton Trumbo. (If you haven't read that one, it's never too late.) "Catch 22."
It was a very hard story for me to digest and one that shows the commonality of human fragility, honor, fear and tradition.
This is on my list of anti-war books, starting decades ago with "Johnny Got His Gun" by Dalton Trumbo. (If you haven't read that one, it's never too late.) "Catch 22."
It was a very hard story for me to digest and one that shows the commonality of human fragility, honor, fear and tradition.
July 2, 2008
Forced to leave the University of Baghdad when the Americans invade Iraq, a young man returns home to his small desert village, where he witnesses three unspeakable acts of violence committed by American soldiers. Consumed by a desire for revenge, the youth returns to the city where is he is taken in by a radical group. Before long, he finds himself part of a terrorist operation which will take him to London. But as the time to board the plane draws near, he struggles to reconcile himself to his mission.
March 3, 2014
I'm not sure why I'm giving this one two stars. This is the third novel I've read by Khadra (a man, not a woman), and it was worse than the first one (which was incredibly depressing). I'm not quite sure what he's attempting with these novels, and I don't plan to read any more of his works.
October 11, 2016
It is the story of a young Iraqi. In search of revenge, the young man goes to Baghdad, where he becomes easy prey for the jihadists. In the end, this cautionary tale sounds more like real history.
An excellent work.
An excellent work.
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