Three Iraqi Musicians, Novelist and Playwright Share Their Views with Al Jadid in a Special Section on Iraqi Culture and Arts  

Double forthcoming issue nos. 58/59 features a special section by Rebecca Joubin on Iraqi culture and arts which includes one of the last interviews novelist Fouad Takarli gave before his death on February 12th. Joubin’s interviews, all conducted in Damascus, also include former National Symphony director Abdel Razeq al-Azawi, playwright and director Adel Taher, and musicians Saadun Jaber and Taleb al- Gharagoli.

Treasured and award-winning Iraqi novelist, Fouad Takarli, reconciles his preordained life as a judge to his evolution as a writer in a country whose cultural fabric has been shredded. Saadun Jaber describes his progression and survival as a musician under a menacing Iraqi political regime, as well as his relationship with an uncharacteristically solicitous Saddam Hussein. Famed musician Taleb al- Gharagoli cites the crucial relationship between freedom/security and artistic innovation, while mourning the death of music and culture in a now mutilated Iraq. Iraq’s former National Symphony director, Abdel Razeq   al-Azawi, sets the joys of being a musical composer against the relentless backdrop of loss and sorrow that was the perpetual theme of his life in Iraq. Iraq's most prominent playwright and director, Abdel Taher, describes his country's rich cultural traditions, detailing their suppression under Saddam and later strangulation by the militias.

Al Jadid’s forthcoming issue also features a report from Dalila Mahdawi about “Heavy Metallers in Baghdad.” Rather than a stereotypical heavy-metal obsession with morbidity, the band’s songs reflect the trauma its members have endured since the fall of Saddam Hussein. First in violence-plagued Iraq, then in Syria and finally in Turkey, the band speaks of their struggle to find a safe place where they can pursue their passion. 

EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK

To Boycott or Not to Boycott: The Politics of Culture at Paris, Turin Book Fairs, by Elie Chalala. The polemical issue of boycott is a longstanding one in Arab political, economic and cultural discourse. The debate involves three groups. The first promotes all-out opposition toward any contact with Israel, cultural or political. The second opposes the boycott and believes that the Arabs and Palestinians should not fear a cultural confrontation with the Zionists because the latter has no moral superiority. The third separates the cultural from the political, considering the Book Fair a political rather than cultural, thus its boycott was justified.

ESSAYS AND FEATURES

“Brilliant Evidence: Mai Ghoussoub’s Long Journey from Trotskyite to Liberal-Democrat,” by Lauren Dickey.  Mai Ghoussoub was a noted author, activist, author and co-founder of Al-Saqi Books.  Lauren Dickey looks back at the extraordinary life of a woman who went from a privileged childhood to dodging bombs as an anti-war activist to running a successful business, and for whom Beirut was always her great love.

Live on the Air, by Mohammed Ali Atassi. Live news coverage can sometimes reveal more than it intends. Mohammad Ali Atassi examines the events that followed the assassination of a Lebanese parliamentarian in June 2007, when a news broadcast revealed some startling prejudices among the ostensibly restrained mainstream media.

An Arab-American Author Reflects on Writing, by Hanna Saadah.  What compels humans to write?  Author Hanna Saadah reflects on the primal and sometimes subconscious motivations behind the impulse to put pen to paper.

In Memoriam: Noel Abdulahad (1939-2007), by Issa Boullata. Issa Boullata writes a poignant tribute to recently deceased Arab American literary critic and translator Noel Abdulahad, remembering his talent, erudition and above all, humanity.

Bashir al-Daouk (1931-2007)

In Memoriam: Farewell to Publisher Hero, by Elie Chalala

"Nazik al-Malaika (1923-2007): Pioneering Iraqi Woman’s Journey Changes Map of Arabic Poetry,"

by Simone Stevens

"Nazik al-Malaika’s Literary Influence Faded Long Before her Death," by Charbel Dagher

"Heavy Metal: Even ‘Black Scorpions’ Leave Baghdad," by Dalila Mahdawi

INTERVIEWS

 “Claiming Memory: An Interview with Brinda Mehta,” by Elmaz Abinader.  Elmaz Abinader talks to author Brinda Mehta about her latest work – an anthology of Arab women writers who focus on preserving memory as a means of survival.

Poetry Without Borders: Translating Darwish, A Conversation with Fady Joudah, by Doris Bittar. In his interview with Doris Bittar, medical doctor and poet Fady Joudah reconciles the two experiences, citing the power and limitations inherent in each.

EXHIBITIONS

The Mediterranean of the Phoenicians: from Carthage to Tyre, an exhibition review by Simone Fattal. Running November 6, 2007-April 20, 2008, the exhibit on Phoenician art and history at Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris features compelling artifacts and recent information on these ancient and mysterious people.

Knights in the Islamic World: Collection from the Furûssiya Art Foundation, an exhibition review by Simone Fattal. Intricately carved swords with Koranic verses, bejeweled archers’ rings and embroidered plush velvet robes are among the artifacts on display in an exhibit showcasing items once belonging to the knights of the first millennium of the Islamic Empire.

FILMS

Between Two Notes.
Directed by Florence Strauss.
Reviewed by Pamela Nice

Hats of Jerusalem.
Directed by Nati Adler.
Reviewed by Brigitte Caland

Shirin Ebadi: A Simple Lawyer.
Directed by Bani Koshnoudi.
Reviewed by Pamela Nice

Zero Degrees of Separation.
Directed by Elle Flanders.
Reviewed by Pamela Nice

Reema, There and Back.
Directed by Paul Émile d’Entremont.
Afghan Chronicles.
Directed by Dominic Morissette.
Reviewed by Lynne Rogers

Shadya.
Directed by Roy Westler
Nadia’s Journey.
Directed by Carmen Garcia and Nadia Zouaoui.
Reviewed by Pamela Nice

Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People.
Directed by Sut Jhally.
Reviewed by Arlen Jones

Caramel.
Directed by Nadine Labaki.
Don’t Mess with the Zohan.
Directed by Denise Dugan.
Reviewed by Doris Bittar

BOOKS

“The Countless Treachery of Language and Silence,” by Faraj Bayrakdar.  Reviewed by Azar Mahloujian.  In a dark journey into the depths of brutality, reviewer Azar Mahloujian shares with the reader why Syrian poet Faraj Bayrakdar’s prison memoir is nevertheless a necessary read.

“A Humble Vow to Truth,” by Aziz Shihab.  Reviewed by Lynne Rogers. The late Aziz Shihab, an optimistic yet clear-eyed Palestinian American journalist, returns for a visit to his homeland, chronicling his impressions and interactions with the many people who lay claim to the same land.

“Poor,” by Idris Ali. Reviewed by Hilary Hesse. A young Nubian man flees his poverty-stricken village in the wake of a flood, only to find a life in the big city that is desperately bleak.

“Desiring Arabs,” by Joseph Massad.  Reviewed by Pamela Nice.  Joseph Massad’s provocative book is a comprehensive look at “sexual deviance” in Arab writing, including an analysis of the role of Western thought, and specifically, Arab rejection of its definitions.

“Letters from Cairo,” by Pauline Kaldas. Reviewed by Jenn Blair. “Letters from Cairo” is an epistolary narration of the Egyptian-born but American-raised author’s time living in Cairo with her African-American husband and their two daughters.

“The Remains,” by Ahmad Harb.  Reviewed by Bobby S. Gulshan. Fullness and emptiness, and what lies in between, define the people of a small Palestinian village in Ahmad Harb’s novel of occupation.

“From the Land of Sheba, Yemeni Folk Tales,” re-told by Carolyn Han; “Folktales from Syria,” by Samir Tahhan, and “The Tree and Other Stories,” by Abdallah al-Nasser.  Reviewed by Lynne Rogers.  Classic stories are re-told and new ones are imagined in these three collections, bound by the common thread of the traditional Arab folk narratives.

“The Inheritance of Exile: Stories from South Philly,” by Susan Muaddi Darraj.  Reviewed by Pauline Homsi Vinson.  Four first-generation Arab-American daughters and their Palestinian parents navigate life in a working-class Philadelphia neighborhood.

“The Butterfly’s Burden,” by Mahmoud Darwish, translated by Fady Joudah. Reviewed by Zaid Shlah.  Fady Joudah translates a collection by famed Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, allowing English readers to see their reflection in the mirror Darwish holds up to life.

“Rituals of Memory in Contemporary Arab Women’s Writing,” by Brinda Mehta. Reviewed by Therese Saliba. In her new book “Rituals of Memory in Contemporary Arab Women’s Writing,” professor Brinda Mehta explores the power and reconstructive potential of memory among victims of the Arab Diaspora.  

Remember Me to Lebanon: Stories of Lebanese Women in America, b y Evelyn Shakir. Reviewed by Pauline Homsi Vinson.

The Earth in the Attic by Fady Joudah. Reviewed by by Doris Bittar.

Race and Arab Americans Before and After 9/11, From Invisible Citizens to Visible Subjects, edited by Amaney Jamal and Nadine Naber. Reviewed by D. W. Aossey.

The Jinn and Other Poems by Amira El-Zein. Reviewed by Theri Alyce Pickens

POETRY

“Just Breathing,” by D.H. Melhem

"Poverty," by Faraj Bayrakdar

" Footnote," by Faraj Bayrakdar

"Syrian Matroshka," by Faraj Bayrakdar

"Waiting for the Mahdi," by Muhammad Ali Shams al-Din