October 2019 - Frankenstein in Baghdad

[Z.]

In honor of the Halloween season, our October read is an appropriately-spooky spin on the story of Frankenstein's monster. This being the Genre Blender, though, you know there's going to be more to Frankenstein in Baghdad than just scares for their own sake. Originally published in 2013 and translated to English last year, Iraqi author Ahmed Saadawi's award-winning novel uses the Frankenstein story as a unique lens through which to examine the carnage and horror of the Iraq war. It should be a fascinating reading experience, and I can't wait to hear what the group makes of it.

[Geoffrey]

Only read a third of it -- really like it!

Open questions: 1) Do all the pieces have to be Sunni or Shia? 2) What would Muqtada Al-Sadr (a leading, politically powerful Iraqi cleric) think?

[Z.]

Hi all! I hope everyone is making progress with Frankenstein in Baghdad and that we'll have a full house this Wednesday. Though the dense mixture of characters, backstories, and plot details can be a little overwhelming at times, I'm enjoying this read and learning a lot I didn't know about life in wartime Iraq. As Americans it's easy to imagine so-called "war-torn" regions in a nonstop state of terror and conflict, but Saadawi demonstrates that for most people life goes on despite the danger. I also like the conceit of the Whatsitsname, with all sorts of hopes and fears projected onto it by the living. I foresee some lively discussion this week!

(P.S. we don't have anyone scheduled for snacks this week, so I'll plan to bring something unless someone else wants to volunteer.)

[Lucy]

I'm in Washington DC til next week, so will miss the discussion (again).
And haven't even cracked the book, between dr appts, out of town visitors and packing for this trip. Mea culpa!
See all in Nov, promise.

[Geoffrey]

I've never read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
Did those of you who have read the original notice parallels in this work?

[Z.]

Geoffrey wrote: "I've never read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
Did those of you who have read the original notice parallels in this work?"

Geoffrey: The most direct parallel I noticed is the variety of narrators and framing devices. IIRC, the original Frankenstein is narrated by a peripheral character, who in turn gives us Dr. Frankenstein's account, who in turn gives us the creature's account... it's a Russian doll effect. I think Saadawi tries to emulate that by including chapters from the POV of the Whatitsname, the writer, etc.

Beyond that, I would say this version diverges quite a bit from the source in terms of plot, themes, etc. But it's been several years since I read Shelley's version, so I could be forgetting some details.

[Z.]

Lucy wrote: "I'm in Washington DC til next week, so will miss the discussion (again).
And haven't even cracked the book, between dr appts, out of town visitors and packing for this trip. Mea culpa!
See all in N..."

Lucy: Thanks for the heads-up, though as always we'll be sorry not to have you tonight. Safe travels, and as long as you're here next month we'll consider it atoned for... :P

[Z.]

Discussion questions, for those interested:

1) The book has many characters, most of them with detailed backstories and complex motivations. Did you find Saadawi’s characterization effective? Did any characters in particular resonate with you?

2) What did you think of the Whatsitsname and its mission? Was this character well-drawn? Thematically, what do you think Saadawi is trying to say through this character?

3) What stood out to you about the structure of this book? How is the narrative framed, and what does Saadawi choose to focus on? How does this plot structure affect the reading experience?

4) What major themes or ideas does this novel explore? Does it have a message, and if so, what is it?

5) For those who have read or are familiar with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, what parallels or differences did you notice in Saadawi’s book? Why do you think he chose to emulate Shelley’s novel in this way?

6) How did this book challenge or affirm your views of modern life in Iraq and the effects of the Iraq War? Did you learn anything? What details stood out to you?

7) Is Frankenstein in Baghdad meant to be taken completely seriously, or does it have comedic/satirical elements too? Did the humor land for you?

8) Do you think it would be a different experience reading this book in the original Arabic? Did anything feel lost (or gained) in translation?

9) How does this book defy or experiment with genre? If you had to, how would you categorize it?

10) Did you enjoy reading this? Would you read another book by Saadawi if given the chance? Would you recommend this to anyone?

[Geoffrey]

My comments on Zachary's discussion questions:

1) The book has many characters, most of them with detailed backstories and complex motivations. Did you find Saadawi’s characterization effective? Did any characters in particular resonate with you?
The cast of characters seemed reasonable to me -- I’m looking at all the people in the neighborhood (and their chickens, goats, etc); everyone knows everyone else intimately. Go down 2 blocks, and you probably don’t know the people at all; a trip to another Baghdad neighborhood is like a trip to another state. Government officials are people you would be aware of (as people to be avoided). Brigadier Majid’s reaction to Whatsitsname as something to advance his career was realistic in this setting.

2) What did you think of the Whatsitsname and its mission? Was this character well-drawn? Thematically, what do you think Saadawi is trying to say through this character?
I didn’t find Whatsitsname that completely drawn; his mission as a ‘righter of wrongs’ seemed like a Western concept (but I don’t know what would fit in its place in Iraqi society).

6) How did this book challenge or affirm your views of modern life in Iraq and the effects of the Iraq War? Did you learn anything? What details stood out to you?
Affirm views: This is a story about people living to get by from day to day; I doubt that that this is much different that the situation in Syria, except that your chances of getting killed are much higher (Syrian people have to be more flexible, as the world changes more from day to day.)

7) Is Frankenstein in Baghdad meant to be taken completely seriously, or does it have comedic/satirical elements too? Did the humor land for you?
Removed from the environment, I see people like Farid, Elishva, and others as funny. In fact, every neighborhood has people like that. Farid (the realtor) is one of those corrupt & evil people that is after power & trying to control the neighborhood. Hadi is the neighborhood idiot, but someone everybody knows and can handle.

8) Do you think it would be a different experience reading this book in the original Arabic? Did anything feel lost (or gained) in translation?
I don’t know much about Arabic, so I don’t know if anything was lost in translation. Arabic language is not even related to English (Hindi & Persian are closer to English). The cultures are very different. There are some really good translators, though.

9) How does this book defy or experiment with genre? If you had to, how would you categorize it?
Excellent example of what a story might be if a writer changed the setting and place for a story (something authors are encouraged to do, so they learn how important setting is to the story).

10) Did you enjoy reading this? Would you read another book by Saadawi if given the chance? Would you recommend this to anyone?
I enjoyed the book, & would recommend it to others. I’d read another book by Saadawi.