Nawaf Shathil, Shathil

Five writers tormented by Iraq’s contemporary history - 2021.


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From the accession to the throne of King Faisal I of Iraq on August 23, 1921, to the present day, the contemporary history of Iraq and its people has been marked by numerous violent political events, including regime changes and wars. In addition to its political, economic, and cultural consequences, this violence has profoundly disintegrated the Iraqi social fabric. Often forced into exile or expatriation, Iraqi writers were the first to recount the violence that has characterized contemporary Iraqi identity. With different histories and trajectories, the five Iraqi writers Alia Mamdouh, Inaam Kachachi, Sinan Antoon, Hassan Blasim, and Feurat Alani have expressed themselves about the homeland they left behind. The five authors are among the few Iraqi writers whose writings have been translated into French. Focused on contemporary Iraqi history and its wars, their work intersects with the collective national conscience, scarred by the political and social violence within their country.