Shalash the Iraqi

by "Shalash", Luke Leafgren (Translator), Kanan Makiya (Introduction)

First (authorized) publication (in any language) of a wildly popular, anonymously written serial novel that started life as a blog during the US invasion of Iraq Populated by a cast of imagined con artists, holy fools, drag queens, and partisans—as well as some very factual politicians, priests, and generals—this novel started life as a pseudonymous blog written “live” by “Shalash” during and after the Second Iraq War. Never written to be published, all but lost save for disintegrating printouts treasured by its devotees, Shalash the Iraqi is here presented in its first authorized translation, with the blessing and commentary of “Shalash” himself. The second U.S. invasion of Iraq began in the spring of 2003. By the autumn of 2005, though the Saddam Hussein regime had reached its bloody end, ordinary Iraqis were seeing little improvement in their daily lives. Their country was “free,” but to many it seemed free mainly to become a mire of sectarian violence, corruption, confusion, and fear. In the midst of this turmoil, a hero arose—or, rather, a jester. In a country where electricity was only intermittently available, a series of blog posts began to appear at a soon-to-be-defunct website and took Baghdad by storm. Individual entries were printed out and passed around for months, until the pages were nearly shredded. Where neither computers nor printers were available, the posts were retold aloud, then passed along at second- and third-hand. What could inspire such devotion? Signed “Shalash the Iraqi,” the posts proved to be nothing less than portions of a madcap serial novel thumbing its nose at Iraq’s new normal. From drunken monologues to prayers, from poetry to dirty jokes, from fairy tales and folk stories to pratfall humor, this novel delights readers and sheds light on Iraq in equal measure.

Genres: Fiction, Middle East

352 pages, Paperback

Published May 2, 2023

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book transcends borders, conflicts, continents and allowed me to connect with the humanity of a people and a place that I was fed skewed images of during my adolescence—as accurately described in the last paragraph of the foreword. Strongly grounded in a specific time and place—described as local almost to a fault by Kanan Makiya—it’s all the more impressive how the humor, the references (though certainly not all), and the general tone of the stories are able to 1. be translated accurately enough & 2. be understood & enjoyed by english readers across the world.

The stories in this book were originally published in Arabic as satiric blog posts by the pseudonymous “Shalash the Iraqi” during a time when the country of Iraq was transitioning from the brutal dictatorship of Saddam Hussein to the not-much-more-ideal occupation by U.S. forces and increased sectarian violence. Through these blog posts, the enigmatic Shalash introduces us to a cast of characters and through their escapades, a picture is painted of a people that are battered and beaten down, but remain full of joy, laughter, and hope for the future. The tone in most of the stories is light, funny, and self-deprecating, but there is a darker tonal shift towards the end as it becomes clear to the citizens of Iraq that the supposed bringers of freedom have instead brought more trouble and strife.

As noted by the translator, Wikipedia will be a necessary tool to piece together some references and the meaning of others will remain opaque, but I found the sentence-long summaries of each story in the table of contents to be extremely helpful in providing a starting point for my understanding.

The structure of the book did become a bit tiring after 300 pages, but that’s my only gripe.

[Paul Dembina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't too sure about this to start with. Initially the satire seemed too specific and the references difficult to parse. But it grew on me with some very powerful chapters getting across the plight of the Iraqi people since their "liberation" from Saddam Hussein by the Americans

[Bryan Courts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found immense pleasure in delving into the enigmatic pages of this captivating book, presented in a truly artistic manner. Its remarkable ability to transport readers across a myriad of diverse worlds left me awe-inspired. The author astutely observes the swift transformations transpiring within society, skillfully capturing the essence of an impending calamity. It's as though an entire planet has crash-landed, causing society to splinter into peculiar factions, alienated from their own collective identity.

[Gregory Duke]

I 100% failed this book. I read it in clumps, as if it were a novel. As a former blog, this leads to a grating sense of plotless repetition, which is a byproduct of expectation rather than execution. Regardless, my experience was mixed, yet I really do love the text as it is. A work of satire exploring the absurdity of the end of the reign of Saddam Hussein and the downtrodden false promise of American occupation, all in real time. The first three quarters are comic pieces about deceitful democracy, sectarian shenanigans, and the convergence of progressive politics in a region defined (by politicians and outside powers) by a certain out-of-dateness. Is Iraq to continue to fall prey to the Islamic Republic of Iran's immense conservatism or become akin to Jordan or Palestine or Kuwait or neither or, by the time a decision is actually made, will brain drain occur to the point that all the Iraqis who can will flee to Denmark? The last quarter takes on a distinct, solemn tone. A fatalism asserts itself as hatred and fear embroil with corpse mountains and bleeding hope. Really really really worthwhile reading as an American who grew up recalling PBS reports about the death toll for American soldiers in the Iraq War. I can so vividly see the images of war, tank sieges, sandy wounds, a nation in a state of collapse: an abstraction of the Middle East as a space of ceaseless conflict, unending usurpation, and totalizing death. Reading Shalash's work, which is so specifically meant for Iraqi eyes, challenges and reenvisions American involvement as the global perpetrator of "democracy." Hegemony be damned.

[LIVAR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read Daaboul's astounding story this morning, I felt compelled to purchase the book without delay. This magnificent work of fantasy is written in a satirical and intense manner that leaves the reader breathless until the final word of the narrative. It harkens back to the era of great classical literature. The story follows a child whose mother discovers that he produces oil instead of urine, which results in the creation of immense family wealth. However, when politicians become involved, the situation escalates into a national crisis, necessitating the intervention of international corporations. It's both astounding and terrifying in equal measure.

[MJ Nicholls]

Satirical squibs and social commentaries on post-Bush Iraq. Became too repetitive and inscrutable as a complete dunderwhelp on the topic of Iraqi politics (having no endnotes didn't help). Dropped on p.240.

[James Kinsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The biggest joy in reading translated fiction from far-flung places is the constant reminder that the people who live there are more like you than you can possibly imagine. When the place in question is somewhere that has looked so large in world affairs of the past two decades as Iraq, it takes on an even more significant resonance.
Sharp-witted, biting, full of heart, this is a joyful and sobering read, and the further these words are shared, the better.

[Cathy Kazakova]

Maybe I can come back to it one day! Interesting read but I’m missing a lot of the background to understand it fully and since it’s a compilation of short anecdotes, there’s always new names to keep track of so I’m worried I’m just missing a lot of the plot because I’m busy trying to understand who’s who and what their cultural significance is.

(dnf p. 107)

[Gabriel Lindén · Rating 3 out of 5]

Underhållande gatutugg.

[Ellen Beardsworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the satire of this translation and the insight into Iraqi culture however for obvious reasons I found some of it didn't land with me, especially some of the more extended posts. It wasn't a page turner for me and I have had to keep returning to it, determined to finish.

[Faysal Kadow · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the midst of this huge boom of various books from different cultures getting translated into English, it feels very surreal to see one come from your own country get spotlighted. I found about this book last year in the Wall Street Journal (of all places) and my curiosity was piqued. Usually i'm very skeptical of books like this, especially ones that come from the SWANA region, not because they don't deserve the attention they're getting, but usually a lot of these books kind of leave much to be desired for me personally - they're not terrible in any way and for the most part it's not the translation that bugs me as much as i kind of want these books to lean towards a more eccentric, raw and weird approach rather then just going through the same usual route of what we expect from these kinds of stories.

Regardless, Shalash pretty much gives me what i usually look for in books. Originally starting as a series of blog posts that were posted from 2005-2006, in the midst of the Iraqi war and at the beginning of the civil war that followed it, the blogposts were satirical in nature, staring a character that functions in the same vein of literary jesters such as Don Quixote and Tristram Shandy. He takes aim at mocking everything that is part of Iraqi society - hypocritical sheikhs and religious men, ignorant tribes and their leaders, incompetent greedy government officials (of both the domestic and foreign kind) and just about anything related to Iraq, from it's myths, customs, rituals and even the country's history. But it is satire with good intentions, the kind that comes from a place of love and respect for one's own country. It is what happens when you wake up one day to find that the people you love and care about have somehow instead settled on deciding to live like they are in the middle ages and care about causes that have happened over millions of years ago. Something that feels weirdly relevant and poignant considering the state of the world right now.

I had my reservations about how accurate the book would translate into English. Iraqi Arabic sits in the weird middle between Levantine Arabic and Khaleeji Arabic because they do share some phrases, but it is still it's own distinct unique dialect. Even in the original version, lots of Iraqis will still struggle to grasp the references and phrases written there, including yours truly. Because they were written in a distinct Baghdadi dialect that comes from a very lower part of society, it poses a challenge in regards to how to approach such a task. And yet Luke Leafgren, alongside the writer of the blog and his associates somehow managed to pull off the whole thing very smoothly. While there are some parts that don't exactly flow very well, the translation's pretty great and while it takes a bit to get used to the flow and structure of it all, once it clicks the jokes and the absurdity of everything just fly off none stop.

Salma Jayyusi, a noted Palestinian translation and author who worked her entire life in translating and bringing all kinds of Arabic literature to the world before passing away last year, has said that the biggest problem for Arabic literature was to be funny. Historically, It always faced problems with bridging the awkward gap between synthesizing Classical Arabic structure with the flexible, stylization of the Western novel, specifically because of a lot of factors, a lot of old Arab authors struggled with advancing the medium itself and also the fact that they maybe didn't personalize their writing too much, kind of stalled the progress of it all. But recent translations and reissues of novels like Shalash the Iraqi and The Secret Life of Saeed: The Pessoptimist redefine the medium itself not just domestically, but all of world literature as a result.

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

[4.5 stars rounded up] If you read this book as a non-Arab speaker expecting the references to be clear, you might well be missing the point. You almost certainly won't get them all and you kind of have to be fine with that going into it. This is a book pieced together from a series of blogposts never intended for an audience much beyond the borders of Iraq and that is exactly why this work is extremely important. The humour does still hit in many places whether it is a local booze slinger who ends up on sectarian religious TV, donkeys with priapism, or merely political figures twisted into caricature, there are certainly laughs to be had.

Humorous, profound, full of ironic metaphor and a blend of both self-deprecation and mocking self-aggrandisement - Shalash, the pseudonymous blogger (between 2005-2007) reckons with the tragedy of living in a place which seems to know no real peace. One that he loves, but is declining not ascending and that has been churned by war. It is this underlying sense of love for all of Iraq and a dismay at the forces that dominate it which makes this a must read. You get a sense that in elevating the petty everyday in his neighbourhood of Sadr City aka Thawra, it is this which he wants to breathe and return to Iraq.

It is also a must read for Americans and Brits in particular. In the West, the views of Iraqis on the ground were largely speaking deliberately omitted beyond traumatised grievers in the aftermath of suicide bombings. Shalash presents the feeling of being in the midst of this as a deeply personal, but also shared tragedy. This is a perspective which needs to be circulated widely because this was what our policy makers did in many regards. Knowing that in the subsequent years the situation only declined further adds further weight to his analysis. It is quite clear that this was a deeply futile war.

Whilst the translator said he wished to avoid footnotes (which I understand), the main criticism I have is that perhaps there could have been some form of asterisk system which just at least lets the reader know if a figure is real or imagined as Shalash puts all sorts whether it be politicians or fictional neighbours into both fantastical and humdrum situations.

[Wasen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant satirical combination of stories that will make you laugh and cry, poems that give you goosebumps and imagery that just leaves you baffled, and this is coming from someone with some familiarity with Iraqi culture. Shalash presents a version of Iraq that is hidden to the world and Iraqi’s outside of “Thawra city”. A city within a city the “Thawra city” appears to have some of the most interesting characters in Iraq. Having lived through 30 years of dictatorship, the city and its people seem to carry the past as they are shoved into the present a reality which makes them targets for sectarian and political exploitation and murder from a war they did not ask for. Whilst the promise of freedom never quite reaches them with the American tanks outside their homes and curfew’s which restrict their lives.

Shalash taught me more about Iraq in 2005 than any “American” historian and media outlet has. He shares his complex experiences with family, neighbours and the authorities all who seem out to just benefit themselves at the expense of the masses. It is very clear that there is no love lost between Shalash and all the versions of political authority in Iraq, whether that be the Americans, British, Iraqi politicians and the cleric religious authority who all seem to have opinions about everything except providing the people with the basic rights, electricity water or food.

Shalash reaffirmed my understanding and belief that macro political decisions made in America or Britain persistently produce devastating effects on an individual level around the world. This book feels like a must-read for every Tom, Dick, or Harry who seems to think they have a right to comment about situations from which they are so removed. As the genius of Shalash is that he manages to accomplish all the above while ensuring the reader can still laugh at the end; it's a sad laughter, but still laughter.

(Thank you to Luke Leafgren for his brilliant translation and effort taken to find this lost blog).

[Kathy Piselli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Shalash slowly, not more than two blogs a day, both to give it the sense of being read as a blog would have and to let the book last as long as possible. For this is a rare book, a glimpse into a culture that is not fiction and that takes place in realtime. Leafgren forever! Shalash's humor can be dark, with the power failures, food shortages, assassinations and bombs. But he also loves the people of his neighborhood and tells stories that made me laugh out loud: the TV repairman who can restore color TVs to black and white ("and sometimes just black"), the woman who tells a thousand hours of stories about her one hour trip to Damascus, Omar al-Mukhtar who is now an Algerian, the Nuwayra and Khanjar (two nosy neighbors) news agencies. But Shalash holds a disdain and hatred for power-hungry religious and political figures who seek to divide. "That particular sort of misanthrope who finds no greater pleasure in life than getting people worked up and then watching the sparks fly". He is particularly bitter about universities once "a path strewn with roses, now it became one big stinking garbage dump of facial hair", and elsewhere "We've exchanged Iraq's glory, our scholars, for experts on ablutions, ritual impurity, and the nine steps you take to cleanse yourself after peeing!" He misses the coffeehouses and bars, places where there was true brotherhood, as opposed to the current hypocritical use of "our brothers". And Shalash must be a poet. He does his poetic ancestors proud and gives me a strong urge to read these entries in the original. So many of the chapters were like poems, others filled with poetry, accounts that have meaning beyond my understanding, yet I can recognize a beautifully written story there. Makiya al-Hasan's strike. Hurriya's mystical marriage. Fadila and her house of light. And the last line of the inscription on the tomb of the Imam of Love: "May love in our land never again go wanting".

[Nadia]

Overall I'm glad this book exists.

For those not familiar Shalash was one of many Iraqi blogs authored during the Iraq war, unlike many bloggers that received attention during the course of the war it was only ever written in Arabic and was written with little to no expectation that non-Iraqis would take any interest in it. It was quite popular among Iraqis though so it is great to see that this writing has been made available for non arabic readers. It also seems like it would have been a really fun to translate. Having said that there are some not great moments-the first chapter features an offensive term heavily.

The organization is not my favourite. The sequence of posts arranged in the book is not chronological, and according to the translator/editor there were a few cases where unknown dates of blog posts were made up and I really would have preferred if the chronology was transparent and kept intact to their best of their ability even while I recognize the challenges presented by the lack of archive kept by the author and that most of the posts were taken from people's reposting the blog posts on social media. These posts were written concurrent to the peak of sectarian violence and ethnic cleansing of 2005-6, so IMO they're just as important as a document from this time period as they are for their writing. As it is the first 2/3 - 3/4 are very sarcastic in tone then the posts presented in the final pages are sincere and at times somber meditations about the reality of the conditions and violence surrounding the author.

In my experience many foreigners-and also many Arabs outside Iraq-have limited knowledge of the events following the American invasion so nearly 20 years after these posts were written an introduction that could put them in context would have been very welcome. Unfortunately instead what we get is an intro by a "close friend of Ahmad Chalabi."

Despite all of that I would still strongly recommend.

[Nicole Connolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad this work exists. While this collection is challenging (!), it comes from a perspective that barely exists in the United States: a comedic, native Iraqi.

I am almost ashamed how much I struggled with the political intricacies of this work. I guess it's the empire's privilege to have basically no true cultural knowledge of the place they're invading. I did a lot of fruitful Googling to piece the jokes together.

I also sense the Arabic to English translation is difficult. The prose is a bit odd at times. What very little I know about Arab idioms and linguistic conventions helped, though I'm sure the prose would be more accessible if I knew more.

The humor is interesting, often focused on hypocrisy (including within the self). A good number of the blogs end on a punchline, which is a kind of old school humor I can get behind. And the blogs that touch on American cultural icons or ideas were easily accessed. Shalash begging Madonna to adopt him instead of another foreign child! Classic.

[Oscar · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to learn more about Iraqi's society and politics without having to go through heavy academical texts, this is your book. With a humoristic tone and also a certain degree of magical realism, the book narrates different anecdotes and stories from post-Saddam Iraq. It mostly focuses on the difficult transition to democracy, the ethnic and religious diversity of Iraq, and the rise of sectarism. There are a few texts, towards the middle of the book, that are rather emotional speeches from the author, rather than humoristic stories with absurd situations and characters. Personally, I was less interested in such texts. While I often missed context for many of the groups and personalities mentioned in the book, this was not really a barrier to understand the core ideas of the book. It was also a great excuse to search for information and learn more about Iraq on Wikipedia. All in all, this was a really educational book that also surprised me by its unique satirical and down-to-earth style.

[Flo! · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely unique book(so far I know). I think the Iraq war is very interesting for various reasons. One is its actual insanity. Especially for the people in Iraq, it must have been absolutely crazy. From this perspective, this book is kind of like the Dada movement after WW1. The absurdity of life in Iraq after the invasion can only be reflected with absurdity. That being said, this book is also more than just absurd stories and parody of Iraqi stereotypes(including the author himself). The bundle of stories also contain genuinely passionate patrotic, heartwarming or tearjerking writings. In that sense, it is not a Dada-like work at all, but much better.

I think this book is an actual piece of history and I would definitely recommend it.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listen up! This book has been waiting for you for far too long. Brace yourself for an audacious, unrelenting satire that mercilessly tears apart the conventions of classic writing. Get ready to have your literary sensibilities shaken to the core as you embark on a journey through the pages of this masterpiece. Prepare yourself, for this book is about to unleash an onslaught of biting critique and irreverent mockery that will leave you breathless. So, buckle up and prepare to be ruthlessly confronted with the raw truth of the literary world.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of brief online essays -- blog posts -- from Baghdad during the Iraq war, in 20055 and 2006. Shalash is the nom de plume of a resident commenting on the changes in society from someone who had lived through the wars with Iran, the disastrous regime of Saddam Hussein, and now the American-led invasion to displace Saddam. Many are wry and sarcastic, some are heartfelt, a few are desperate longings for a better Iraq not ripped apart by violence and partisan strife.

[Aron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book. I question sometimes my And Other Stories subscription, but then they publish a book like this which more than makes up for the occasional resounding failures. A brave book by a brave man about the human condition and the inhumanity of humans. I only hope Shalash is safe and well and married the woman of his dreams!

[SamB · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel bad for rating this so low, but ultimately I found most of the book completely impenetrable. I just didn't have enough of the references needed to engage with it in any meaningful way, so ultimately, while I approached with an open mind, eager to learn more about the everyday Iraq behind the headlines, I've emerged with no greater insight than I had before. A disappointment.

[Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished reading this and I'm impressed. It masterfully blends narrative with journalistic elements, oscillating between irony and tragedy. The author's knack for vividly intensifying events, painting vivid images, and encapsulating culture through a distinctive writing style is truly commendable.

[Suhaira Art · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you are the voice of simple people and express their feelings and monitor their daily lives and then give it a sad, comedic character at times, you are a genius, because it is not easy to create a smile in the midst of devastation. This book is amazing and essential for every researcher of cultural differences

[Ahuv · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely funny insight into Arab lives. As a Brit, I don’t have any connection to the culture but this random find entertained me and showed me that some Arabs seem to live behind a veneer of religiousness or nationalism in a way similar to most of us: drinking, badmouthing, sleeping around, dreaming of lives abroad.. etc. I also learnt that Iraq has a black population of almost 2 million!

[Cassy]

Who recommended this book to me: Browsing Brazos' display of translated fiction, curious about daily life of Iraqis, strong reviews

[Saleem · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic writing, take beyond the media images to the real live of ppl under US occupation

[Gizem · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

7/10 I struggled a bit with the constant sarcasm.

[Ela Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

it's funny, very much takes the piss out of the US and it's a very interesting perspective on the Iraq war.