The Baghdad Villa - Libroj.org

Poŝlibro, 272 paĝoj

Lingvo: English

Eldonita de Interlink Books.

ISBN:: 978-1-62371-790-2

(1 recenzo)

The novel is set in Baghdad following the 2003 American invasion of Iraq that toppled Saddam Hussein and unleashed chaos. At the centre of the narrative is a young woman, Ghosnelban, who belongs to what would have been an aristocratic family under the former Iraqi monarchy and sees herself and her family as guardians of an aristocratic code of noble values and traditions. She witnesses her world and family life collapsing as the violence around her intensifies. The story encompasses three generations of the same family, and shows the effects of successive coups and wars on Iraqi society by focusing on the uprooting of a well-establish family that has deep roots in Iraq. Ghosnelban interprets the events unfolding around her through detailed descriptive analysis of seven paintings hanging on the walls of a formal reception room in the family's palatial villa. The family's fate embodies the wider ruination affecting the …

The novel is set in Baghdad following the 2003 American invasion of Iraq that toppled Saddam Hussein and unleashed chaos. At the centre of the narrative is a young woman, Ghosnelban, who belongs to what would have been an aristocratic family under the former Iraqi monarchy and sees herself and her family as guardians of an aristocratic code of noble values and traditions. She witnesses her world and family life collapsing as the violence around her intensifies. The story encompasses three generations of the same family, and shows the effects of successive coups and wars on Iraqi society by focusing on the uprooting of a well-establish family that has deep roots in Iraq. Ghosnelban interprets the events unfolding around her through detailed descriptive analysis of seven paintings hanging on the walls of a formal reception room in the family's palatial villa. The family's fate embodies the wider ruination affecting the country at large.

English language translation by Samira Kawar.

1 eldono

Stephanie Jane recenzis The Baghdad Villa de Zuheir El-Hetti

A curious novel

3 steloj

The Baghdad Villa is a curious novel, told in the first person by Ghosnelban, and mostly taking place within the walls of what we are told is the last luxurious mansion in Baghdad. Ghosnelban herself is an incredible snob so I found it very difficult to warm to her as she told her story. I was reminded a little of the aristocratic family's attitudes in The Last September by Elizabeth Bowen in the way Ghosnelban displays such an aloof, entitled persona. As the novel progresses, I learned how much of the woman she has become is down to her family's rigid observance of strict traditions, Ghosnelban's life accomplishment seemingly just being her existence as the seventh generation lady of the house, an existence which is now completely anachronistic in war-torn Baghdad.

The mansion is shared with Ghosnelban's brother, Silwan, a young man whose mind has been completely destroyed by horrors …

The Baghdad Villa is a curious novel, told in the first person by Ghosnelban, and mostly taking place within the walls of what we are told is the last luxurious mansion in Baghdad. Ghosnelban herself is an incredible snob so I found it very difficult to warm to her as she told her story. I was reminded a little of the aristocratic family's attitudes in The Last September by Elizabeth Bowen in the way Ghosnelban displays such an aloof, entitled persona. As the novel progresses, I learned how much of the woman she has become is down to her family's rigid observance of strict traditions, Ghosnelban's life accomplishment seemingly just being her existence as the seventh generation lady of the house, an existence which is now completely anachronistic in war-torn Baghdad.

The mansion is shared with Ghosnelban's brother, Silwan, a young man whose mind has been completely destroyed by horrors he witnessed at war in the desert. I was moved by Zuheir El-Hetti's portrayals of his PTSD demonstrating so clearly how his imagination is still trapped inside scenes he cannot escape. Earlier on in The Baghdad Villa I did wonder if Silwan's story would have made for a more engaging novel, however I was gradually drawn in to Ghnoselban's narration. This is a slow and introverted novel with repetition of Ghnoselban's woes, all of which struck me as rather trite given the circumstances right outside her house, however this woman is not given to actually looking even that far from her immediate family and home.

I was also distracted from the storyline at the beginning of each chapter by needing to briefly research artworks online. Seven classic paintings hang in the mansion, each one being the title and focus of a chapter. They are all quite famous works by artists such as Caravaggio, Goya and Hieronymous Bosch, so readers with a knowledge of art history probably would not need to make the same diversions as I did. Having an idea of each painting did help with my understanding of the chapters though, as much as looking them up took me out of the atmosphere.

While I am glad to have read The Baghdad Villa, I cannot say that I was particularly captivated by its story. I felt too far removed from Ghnoselban to really connect with her experience. El-Hetti's novel does give a viewpoint into the Iraqi invasion that I hadn't previously encountered so this aspect was interesting in its own right, and I did more deeply enjoy chapters when Ghnoselban's life is contrasted with the lives of two other Baghdad women. Overall though I didn't feel that The Baghdad Villa was an ideal book for me.