There will come a day, and it will be soon, upon which a great novel of the Iraq war will be published.
If you’re an American fighting there, the war in Iraq is a clearly foolish endeavor in which you've been sent to fight and possibly die for frivolously presented, very inscrutable reasons. Vietnam was like that, and that’s one of the reasons why so much good writing has come from that war. Moral quandaries abounded in those jungles, and the best of fiction is dependent for its life on such quandaries in the souls of its major characters. So, from Vietnam we have James Webb’s Fields of Fire and Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried among many others, not to mention the amazing non-fiction books Dispatches by Michael Herr and Frances Fitzgerald’s Fire In The Lake.
Although their news conference styles were quite different, Robert McNamara and Donald Rumsfeld were alike in their seeming inability as Secretaries of Defense to understand why they were wrong ... or even that they were wrong. So, young men and women are packed off to war in order to shore up the justifications these men have invented for waging it. It’s terrible for the soldiers, to be sure, and we would all prefer that they not have to do this. But the scenario is absolutely ripe for contemporary fiction. If you fancy heroes who are uncertain of their beliefs in the face of obdurate destruction, or who become heroic and self-sacrificing while defending a political folly, or are observers with a keen sense of right and wrong looking on as less-wise people imprison, and then murder, innocents ... if these kinds of heroes are interesting to you, Iraq is your war.
Of course, such heroes have appeared in books about wars that were very justified. Yossarian in Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 is perhaps the most famous, a man with a pragmatic, yet comic disposition who realizes in World War II that his superior officers are the real enemy since they are the ones sending him into battle and therefore trying to get him killed. That’s the catch. Again and again he battles against them, and he loses again and again.
Henry Fleming, in Stephen Crane’s Red Badge of Courage, runs away from battle at first, then becomes a fearsome soldier himself. The gray, self-questioning middle ground between his cowardice and his bravery is where the real novel takes place.
Article comments
1 - Tony Christini
For what it's worth - the good and the bad, and the in-between - an incomplete list of Iraq War fiction:
IRAQ WAR NOVELS:
Hocus Potus - Malcolm MacPherson
The Sirens of Baghdad - Yasmina Khadra
Last One In - Nicholas Kulish
Homefront - Tony Christini
Still the Monkey - Alivia C. Tagliaferri
The Scorpion's Gate - Richard A. Clarke
The Human War - Noah Cicero
"Greendale" as graphic novel - Neil Young & Joshua Dysart
Homeland - Paul William Roberts
Outsourced - R. J. Hillhouse
IRAQ WAR PLAYS:
The Wolf - Sean Huze
1984 - Tim Robbins
Peace Mom - Dario Fo
Stuff Happens - David Hare
IRAQ WAR FICTION FILMS AND VIDEO:
Lions for Lambs
Over There
Valley of the Wolves Iraq
The Tiger and the Snow
Stop-Loss
The Situation
G.I. Jesus
24
Home of the Brave
Grace is Gone
Valley of Elah
Rendition
Redacted
Homecoming
Embedded
Body of Lies
2 - Terence Clarke
Hello Tony:
Thanks for the list. Much appreciated.
Terry Clarke
3 - webmaster
Dear Friends,
I would like to introduce you to my new novel entitled Nejim...Nejim. The novel events took place in Baghdad, Iraq during the height of the Sadr City revolt of 2004. It describes in vivid details some of the historic accounts that took place in Baghdad during that year and events I was touched by throughout my life. But above all this novel is about unimaginable fictional magic and thrilling mystery of the old and new blended together in a very telling story.
I wrote the novel with clear description of the people and the culture that only an Iraqi would know. The novel has a distinct Iraqi folklore flavor that readers will find very enjoyable. It has authentic local mythology built into it highlighted by magic and mystery similar to that of the Tales of Thousand and One Nights but in a modern setting. It ties a thousand year old mystical tale to current Iraq and takes it even beyond, through series of mysterious but yet thrilling actions and horrific incidents. The unexplainable events make you wonder if such breathtaking wonders are still exist to this day in this old country.
The novel completed is about 70,000 words and consists of eighteen chapters. I wrote the novel with several hooks at the beginning which continued as thrilling mysteries all the way to the end. The novel is a must read to those who are interested in Iraq and the local culture. It describes in details places and events that are unique to this part of the world and to that period. Those who are genuinely love to read mystery novels with real authentic flavor will find it captivating and delightful at the same time.
The novel has just been published. It is available only at the website right now. Please order or reserve your copy and pass the word around. This is a short run first edition print and might be sold out very soon.
Best Regards
Saad Farage
ISBN 978-0-615-30273-7
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2009906396