The Iraqi Nights

Fiction & Literature, Poetry
Cover of the book The Iraqi Nights by Dunya Mikhail, New Directions
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Dunya Mikhail ISBN: 9780811222877
Publisher: New Directions Publication: May 27, 2014
Imprint: New Directions Language: English
Author: Dunya Mikhail
ISBN: 9780811222877
Publisher: New Directions
Publication: May 27, 2014
Imprint: New Directions
Language: English

A stunning new collection by one of Iraq’s brightest poetic voices

The Iraqi Nights is the third collection by the acclaimed Iraqi poet Dunya Mikhail. Taking The One Thousand and One Nights as her central theme, Mikhail personifies the role of Scheherazade the storyteller, saving herself through her tales. The nights are endless, seemingly as dark as war in this haunting collection, seemingly as endless as war. Yet the poet cannot stop dreaming of a future beyond the violence of a place where “every moment / something ordinary / will happen under the sun.” Unlike Scheherazade, however, Mikhail is writing, not to escape death, but to summon the strength to endure. Inhabiting the emotive spaces between Iraq and the U.S., Mikhail infuses those harsh realms with a deep poetic intimacy. The author’s vivid illustrations — inspired by Sumerian tablets — are threaded throughout this powerful book.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

A stunning new collection by one of Iraq’s brightest poetic voices

The Iraqi Nights is the third collection by the acclaimed Iraqi poet Dunya Mikhail. Taking The One Thousand and One Nights as her central theme, Mikhail personifies the role of Scheherazade the storyteller, saving herself through her tales. The nights are endless, seemingly as dark as war in this haunting collection, seemingly as endless as war. Yet the poet cannot stop dreaming of a future beyond the violence of a place where “every moment / something ordinary / will happen under the sun.” Unlike Scheherazade, however, Mikhail is writing, not to escape death, but to summon the strength to endure. Inhabiting the emotive spaces between Iraq and the U.S., Mikhail infuses those harsh realms with a deep poetic intimacy. The author’s vivid illustrations — inspired by Sumerian tablets — are threaded throughout this powerful book.

More books from New Directions

Cover of the book The Driver's Seat by Dunya Mikhail
Cover of the book Final Exam by Dunya Mikhail
Cover of the book A Russian Doll & Other Stories by Dunya Mikhail
Cover of the book The Smile at the Foot of the Ladder by Dunya Mikhail
Cover of the book The Kites by Dunya Mikhail
Cover of the book Your Face Tomorrow: Fever and Spear (Vol. 1) by Dunya Mikhail
Cover of the book Miss Lonelyhearts & The Day of the Locust (New Edition) by Dunya Mikhail
Cover of the book Binstead's Safari by Dunya Mikhail
Cover of the book A Simple Story: The Last Malambo by Dunya Mikhail
Cover of the book Letters to His Neighbor by Dunya Mikhail
Cover of the book Spain in Our Hearts: Espana en el corazon by Dunya Mikhail
Cover of the book The Blood Oranges: A Novel by Dunya Mikhail
Cover of the book Clothes for a Summer Hotel: Play by Dunya Mikhail
Cover of the book The Seamstress and the Wind by Dunya Mikhail
Cover of the book Montanao's Malady by Dunya Mikhail
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy