Dreaming of Baghdad (Women Writing the Middle East) - Softcover

Zangana, Haifa

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1558616055 ISBN 13: 9781558616059

Publisher: The Feminist Press at CUNY, 2009

Synopsis

Deftly sketched, simple and poetic, Dreaming of Baghdad drags politics down from the realm of the abstract into the mud, fear, and loneliness of personal experience and psychological ruin that is life under dictatorship. This is a landscape of clandestine struggle and crushing political defeat, of familiar old streets and the alienating structures of exile. Zangana’s story is heartbreaking, but her clarity and resilience inspire awe.” Christian Parenti

In 1970s Iraq, the Ba'ath Party was at the height of its influence in the Middle East and popularity throughout the West. But a group of activists recognized the disastrous potential of the regime as its charismatic leader, Saddam Hussein, became more powerful. Haifa Zangana was among those resisters, a small group of whom were captured and imprisoned at Abu Ghraib.

From the distance of time and place, Zangana writes during her first years of forced exile from her beloved country about the time of her incarceration, the agonizing loss of comrades to torture and death in prison, the haunted quality of life so far away from home and family, and the ways in which memory conspires to make us forget what sometimes is most dear to us.

About this title

About the Author:

In the 1970s, Haifa Zangana was imprisoned and tortured for actively resisting Saddam Hussein's brutal regime. A journalist, artist, and activist, Zangana is the author of The City of Widows and co-founder of Solidarity for an Independent and Unified Iraq. She contributes to the Guardian, Red Pepper, and Al-Ahram Weekly and writes a weekly column for Al Quds.

Review:

"Deftly sketched, simple and poetic, Dreaming of Baghdad drags politics down from the realm of the abstract into the mud, fear, and loneliness of personal experience and psychological ruin that is life under dictatorship. This is a landscape of clandestine struggle and crushing political defeat, of familiar old streets and the alienating structures of exile. Zangana's story is heartbreaking, but her clarity and resilience inspire awe." ―The Nation

"If you are interested in what goes on beneath the burka in the minds of Iraqis struggling to sustain personal equilibrium amidst decades-long oppression, then I think you can add this book to your list of tomes that might help in accumulating a body of understanding for a distant society―if not for another distanced human being." ―Internet Review of Books

“Written with passion and commitment, Dreaming of Baghdad invoked my own dreams, and the joys and pain that memory can bring. A must-read.”―Nawal El Saadawi

“Haifa Zangana illuminates the dark realities of Saddam Hussein's Iraq while remembering what she misses from that complex place and time.”―Sharnush Parsipur

“Haifa Zangana proves once again that the act of writing can be truly liberating.”―Dalia Said Mostafa

“How poorer the world would have been without Haifa Zangana's courageous testimony. Drop anything you are reading and grab hold of a copy of this magnificent book.”―Hamid Dabashi

Praise for City of Widows:

"Zangana writes with indignation of the recent hijacking of her country." ―Time Out New York

"This angry, unforgiving and powerful book is as vital as it is hard to swallow." ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"What left me quaking was the power of internal perspective and history that she offers, and her informed explanations of both policy and practice." ―Feminist Review

"The book is an extraordinary and well-written criticism of the occupation of Iraq."―Adventures in Reading

"Deftly sketched, simple and poetic, Dreaming of Baghdad drags politics down from the realm of the abstract into the mud, fear, and loneliness of personal experience and psychological ruin that is life under dictatorship. This is a landscape of clandestine struggle and crushing political defeat, of familiar old streets and the alienating structures of exile. Zangana's story is heartbreaking, but her clarity and resilience inspire awe." The Nation

"If you are interested in what goes on beneath the burka in the minds of Iraqis struggling to sustain personal equilibrium amidst decades-long oppression, then I think you can add this book to your list of tomes that might help in accumulating a body of understanding for a distant society if not for another distanced human being." Internet Review of Books

Written with passion and commitment, Dreaming of Baghdad invoked my own dreams, and the joys and pain that memory can bring. A must-read.” Nawal El Saadawi

Haifa Zangana illuminates the dark realities of Saddam Hussein's Iraq while remembering what she misses from that complex place and time.” Sharnush Parsipur

Haifa Zangana proves once again that the act of writing can be truly liberating.” Dalia Said Mostafa

How poorer the world would have been without Haifa Zangana's courageous testimony. Drop anything you are reading and grab hold of a copy of this magnificent book.” Hamid Dabashi

Praise for City of Widows:

"Zangana writes with indignation of the recent hijacking of her country." Time Out New York

"This angry, unforgiving and powerful book is as vital as it is hard to swallow." Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"What left me quaking was the power of internal perspective and history that she offers, and her informed explanations of both policy and practice." Feminist Review

"The book is an extraordinary and well-written criticism of the occupation of Iraq." Adventures in Reading

About this edition

• Publisher: The Feminist Press at CUNY
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1558616055
• ISBN 13: 9781558616059
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160