| Description |
1 online resource (152 pages) |
|
text file rdaft |
|
(epub) |
| Access |
Access limited to subscribing institutions. |
| Summary |
"First time ever in English translation for this acclaimed 'open work', published in Arabic in 1969 to great acclaim, written in defiance of the "sanctity of genre" and to raise the question of freedom of expression in writing. Variously called a novel or a prose poem, the author calls it an epic in prose, divided into cantos. In mid-1960s Iraq such an open-ended form, in which different genres come together and blend into each other, was difficult to even imagine. For Fadhil al-Azzawi it was the core of a new vision of life after the country's tough political experiences, especially the bloody coup of February 1963, and then abysmal defeat in the June 1967 Six-Day War. The preface to the original Arabic edition noted: "Everything in this open novel returns to itself and acquires its own particular innocence, even in language, so that the novel becomes a poem, a play, a film, a painting and a piece of music all at once without ever meaning to [...] It talks about itself in its own very particular way, where it says nothing specific so that it can say everything." Fadhil al-Azzawi writes on how he came to write "Beautiful Creatures", explaining: "The tough political experiences we went through in Iraq, especially the bloody coup of February 1963, and then defeat in the June 1967 war, drove us to question many of the values entrenched in our society and culture, and to strive to liberate our minds from every restraint and illusion that had taken root throughout history. At the same time, the rest of the world was witnessing a revolution to liberate thought, art and culture that was radically transforming the face of Western societies. After spending three years in prison, this is how I found myself -- ; liberated from any worn-out ideological illusions, having grasped the tragic nature of the relationship between the victim and the executioner not only in the field of politics, but also in thought. Above all else, I had grasped what it meant to be against any and all illusions."-- Provided by Freading. |
| Note |
Publisher metadata. |
| Subject |
Iraq -- Fiction.
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POETRY / Middle Eastern.
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| Genre/Form |
Electronic books.
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| Added Title |
Beautiful creatures |
| ISBN |
9781913043117 (epub) |
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9781913043223 (print) |
| Standard No. |
9781913043117 |
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