How Many Miles to Basra?

by Colin Teevan

Southern Iraq, April 2003. Four soldiers, a journalist and their Iraqi translator set off on an unauthorised journey deep into the Iraqi countryside in a disastrous attempt to make amends for the deaths of some local men at a vehicle checkpoint.
Developed from Teevan'shighly acclaimed BBC Radio 3 play, How Many Miles to Basra? is a superb examination of how definitions of truth and responsibility become blurred in times of war - not just in the armed forces and political arena, but in the media too.
How Many Miles to Basra? was performed at the West Yorkshire Playhouse (Leeds) in September 2006.

94 pages, Paperback

First published September 26, 2006

Reviews

[Emily Weatherburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I studied this play during the first year of my A-Levels and, unfortunately, I wasn't crazy about it. It's really well-written and draws on some really important issues, but I simply didn't get on with it. I feel as though the story may have been one that would have been better suited for a novel, because although there were twists and shocks in terms of the narrative, I feel as though they would have better suited a longer narrative.

As it is, I finished reading this play in one day. Normally, I would say that this is a good thing, because it would mean that I had really enjoyed the book, but, in the case of How Many Miles to Basra?, it wasn't. Everything happened so quickly and, what with the speed of the play, I didn't really have time to process it all before the narrative had finished.

It's a really interesting read if you can spare a couple of hours and the issues in it are massively thought-provoking, but if you're looking for a more emotional read, this probably isn't for you - it's just too short to allow the emotion to sink in!

[Yejun Zhao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although the plot is somewhat simplified due to the length of the play, the author manages to portray the changing psychology of some of the main characters. In addition, the question of how Ireland, as a former colony, should find its role in the current global politics where imperialism/colonialism is still the dominant discourse is a key question posed by the author.