Synopses & Reviews
In the winter of 1979 Nabeel Yasin, Iraq's most famous young poet, gathered together a handful of belongings and fled Iraq with his wife and son. Life in Baghdad had become intolerable. Silenced by a series of brutal beatings at the hands of the Ba'ath Party's Secret Police and declared an “enemy of the state,” he faced certain death if he stayed.
Nabeel had grown up in the late 1950s and early '60s in a large and loving family, amid the domestic drama typical of Iraq's new middle class, with his mother Sabria working as a seamstress to send all of her seven children to college. As his story unfolds, Nabeel meets his future wife and finds his poetic voice while he is a student. But Saddam's rise to power ushers in a new era of repression, imprisonment and betrayal from which few families will escape intact. In this new climate of intimidation and random violence Iraqis live in fear and silence; yet Nabeels mother tells him “It is your duty to write.” His poetry, a blend of myth and history, attacks the regime determined to silence him. As Nabeels fame and influence as a poet grows, he is forced into hiding when the Party begins to dismantle the citys infrastructure and impose power cuts and food rationing. Two of his brothers are already in prison and a third is used as a human minesweeper on the frontline of the Iran-Iraq war. After six months in hiding, Nabeel escapes with his wife and young son to Beirut, Paris, Prague, Budapest, and finally England.
Written by Jo Tatchell, a journalist who has spent many years in the Middle East and who is a close friend of Nabeel Yasins, Nabeel's Song is the gripping story of a family and its fateful encounter with history. From a warm, lighthearted look at the Yasin family before the Saddam dictatorship, to the tale of Nabeels persecution and daring flight, and the suspense-filled account of his familys rebellion against Saddam's regime, Nabeel's Song is an intimate, illuminating, deeply human chronicle of a country and a culture devastated by political repression and war.
About the Author
JO TATCHELL is based in London and writes on Middle Eastern culture for a variety of U.K. and U.S. media, including
The Guardian. NABEEL YASIN, one of Iraqs most celebrated poets, is best known for the epic poem “Brother Yasin.” Since 1990 he has lived in the U.K. with his wife and two sons.
Reading Group Guide
1. How did Jo Tatchells description of life in Iraq differ to how you imagined it before reading
The Poet of Baghdad? What does the book reveal that particularly shocked and surprised you?
2. Discuss Nabeels mother Sabria. In what ways did Sabria shape the person Nabeel was to become? Do you personally know of a strong woman such as Sabria? If so, how has she impacted your life?
3. “In these uncertain times, a poets aim is to reach people with truth,” (page 77). Consider this statement, as well as the fact that Nabeels truth-telling through his poetry is what put him at dangerous odds with the Iraqi government. Why did he speak out in this way?
4. Nabeel and Nadas escape from Iraq is a turning point in The Poet of Baghdad. How does Nabeel change after he and his family settle in Europe?
5. Many instances of Saddam Husseins self-styled cult of personality appear throughout the book. What were some of the more eyebrow-raising examples?
6. Examine the excerpts from Nabeels epic poems. What does Nabeels poetry say about himself, about his life in Iraq? Why do you think Nabeels works were such rallying cries for his countrymen?
7. “Whatever you may think of the world, little Nabeel, you cannot spend your life at odds with it. Think about those things you want to change, then speak,” (page 73). What do you think of Sabrias advice? Does Nabeel follow it?
8. “Everything we knew was then. Perhaps we will find that out home exists only in our heads,” (page 340). How do you describe “home?” Is it a place, or a state of mind, or something else?
9. After Nabeels brother Jumaa is released from prison, he is determined to get his teaching job back, telling his shocked family, “If I shrink into the shadows they will have won,” (page 62). Did you agree with Jumaas decision to assume his old life? Why do you think he stayed in Iraq, while Nabeel chose to escape?
10. While he lived in exile, Nabeels poems were smuggled into Iraq and through word-of-mouth became hugely popular, elevating Nabeel to almost mythic status among Iraqis. What is it about his poetry that made this happen? Discuss the actions and assistance of Nabeels friend Tawfiq, who risked his life to clandestinely distribute Nabeels works. Would you have done the same things in Tawfiqs position?
11. Discuss the role of Islam in The Poet of Baghdad. What significance did it hold for Nabeel, his parents, his siblings? How does Nabeels faith differ from that of his mother?
12. Its practically impossible to read about the tribulations of Nabeel Yasin and his family without thinking of the current war America has waged in Iraq. What comparisons can be drawn between the tyrannical rule of Saddam Hussein and the many difficulties and dangers experienced by todays Iraqis? Are things different for Iraqis now?
13. Were you surprised that Nabeel wanted to return to Iraq after the American invasion in 2003?
14. Nabeel and Nada live for many years in hiding-without papers, and under constant suspicion. How do you see this affecting their relationship? What kind of toll can this pressure take on a relationship between two people? How do you think you would cope in similar circumstances?
15. What are some lessons to be learned from The Poet of Baghdad?