Shalash the Iraqi

First (authorized) publication (in any language) of awildly popular, anonymously written serial novel that started life as a blogduring the US invasion of IraqPopulated by acast of imagined con artists, holy fools, drag queens, and partisans-as well assome very factual politicians, priests, and generals-this novel started life asa pseudonymous blog written "live" by "Shalash" during and after the SecondIraq War. Never written to be published, all but lost save for disintegratingprintouts treasured by its devotees, Shalashthe Iraqi is here presented in its first authorized translation, with theblessing and commentary of "Shalash" himself. The second U.S.invasion of Iraq began in the spring of 2003. By theautumn of 2005, though the Saddam Hussein regime had reached its bloody end,ordinary Iraqis were seeing little improvement in their daily lives. Theircountry was "free," but to many it seemed free mainly to become a mire ofsectarian violence, corruption, confusion, and fear.In the midst of thisturmoil, a hero arose-or, rather, a jester. In a country where electricity wasonly intermittently available, a series of blog posts began to appear at asoon-to-be-defunct website and took Baghdad by storm. Individual entries wereprinted out and passed around for months, until the pages were nearly shredded.Where neither computers nor printers were available, the posts were retoldaloud, then passed along at second- and third-hand. What could inspire suchdevotion? Signed "Shalash the Iraqi," the posts proved to be nothing less thanportions of a madcap serial novel thumbing its nose at Iraq's new normal. From drunkenmonologues to prayers, from poetry to dirty jokes, from fairy tales and folkstories to pratfall humor, this novel delights readers and sheds light on Iraqin equal measure.