{"product_id":"out-of-mesopotamia-paperback","title":"Out of Mesopotamia - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eSalar Abdoh\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Abdoh's powerful novel follows an Iranian war reporter who is torn between his wearying job on the front lines and a civilian existence that he finds increasingly alienating. The book is as much a reflection on memory and art as it is a war story, and Abdoh's writing captures beautifully the absurdity of both the battlefield and modern life.\" \u003cstrong\u003e--\u003cem\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/em\u003e, Editors' Choice\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Saleh, the narrator of \u003cem\u003eOut of Mesopotamia\u003c\/em\u003e, is a middle-aged Iranian journalist who moonlights as a writer for one of Iran's most popular TV shows but cannot keep himself away from the front lines in neighboring Iraq and Syria. There, the fight against the Islamic State is a proxy war, an existential battle, a declaration of faith, and, for some, a passing weekend affair.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e After weeks spent dodging RPGs, witnessing acts of savagery and stupidity, Saleh returns to civilian life in Tehran but finds it to be an unbearably dislocating experience. Pursued by his official handler from state security, opportunistic colleagues, and the woman who broke his heart, Saleh has reason to again flee from everyday life. Surrounded by men whose willingness to achieve martyrdom both fascinates and appalls him, Saleh struggles to make sense of himself and the turmoil in his midst.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e An unprecedented glimpse into \"endless war\" from a Middle Eastern perspective, \u003cem\u003eOut of Mesopotamia\u003c\/em\u003e follows in the tradition of the Western canon of martial writers--from Hemingway and Orwell to Tim O'Brien and Philip Caputo--but then subverts and expands upon the genre before completely blowing it apart. Drawing from his firsthand experience of being embedded with Shia militias on the ground in Iraq and Syria, Abdoh gives agency to the voiceless while offering a meditation on war that is moving, humane, darkly funny, and resonantly true\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSalar Abdoh\u003c\/b\u003e was born in Iran and splits his time between Tehran and New York City. He is the author of the novels \u003ci\u003eTehran at Twilight, The Poet Game, \u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eOpium\u003c\/i\u003e; and he is the editor of \u003ci\u003eTehran Noir\u003c\/i\u003e. He teaches in the MFA program at the City College of New York\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 240\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.8 x 5.1 x 8.1 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e August 02, 2022\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42728058781759,"sku":"9781636140322","price":21.54,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/8226\/1823\/files\/33ad2e06c0a25d2ea737c3d00ab4f782.webp?v=1765117109","url":"https:\/\/dhlswag.com\/products\/out-of-mesopotamia-paperback","provider":"BBB","version":"1.0","type":"link"}