Baghdad is pale. Her rooftops and terraces are covered with an alabaster shroud that blends into the night. In the heavy waters of the Tigris, carp rise to the surface, attracted by the light beams that pierce the sky, and by the reflections of the full moon that scatter like pearls escaping from a velvet box. It is not yet dawn, but the city does not sleep. Or, rather, she sleeps no longer. Explosions resonate to the West and South, where there are some of the tyrant’s palaces. With each bomb, a powerful shudder shakes the ground and the walls. It is the shadow of war, another war, and certainly not the last, that spreads its wings. Baghdad trembles. She mourns the loss of her three round walls that vanished in the obscurity of centuries. But how could they serve her in the face of the wave that is about to unfurl? Baghdad panics. She senses the specter of Hulagu Khan on the prowl. Wary of seeing the rise of his successors, the wolf of the steppes smells the odor of blood and fear. He takes the form of a cloud of dark threads and, whistling, roams the deserted streets. Inside households, in rare cellars and old dilapidated shelters, fingers point and sighs punctuate the expressions of faith appropriate to moments such as this, warning of misfortune. The hour approaches and, with it, the time of the split moon, this clear sign of the end of the world. No citizens of Baghdad are ignorant of this. All, or almost all, believers or not, beg for mercy from the Master of the Universe or the protection of the Virgin Mary, the best woman of all time
Today we talk about Full moon over Baghdad, a book by Akram Belkaïd published with our publishing house Europe Books.
Europe Books had the pleasure of interviewing the author Akram Belkaïd to get to know him better, where he found the inspiration to write his book Full moon over Baghdad, as well as the significant life experiences that find expression in his book.
Below you can find our interview. Take a seat and enjoy your reading!!!
- Where and when did you find the inspiration to write your book?
It took me a few years to write these stories. This was done in line with current events in the Middle East and the evolution of the situation in Iraq. Each news story is linked to the same main event, that is to say the invasion of Iraq by American and English troops. But it’s not just that. There are particular situations depending on whether you are in Algiers, Casablanca, Kuwait City, Washington DC or, of course, Baghdad.
- What is the message you want to convey to your readers?
Read poetry. Discover Arabic poetry. Consider the fate of the Middle East.
- What significant life experiences find expression in your book?
The war. The experience of war and injustice. Iraq was invaded based on lies. The Arab world is still paying the price today.
- What sensations did you feel by ‘reading’ your life on the pages of your book?
Writing is a beautiful adventure. These stories have nothing to do with my personal life except perhaps the one that takes place in Baghdad and the one that tells the odyssey of young men in the Jordanian desert.
- Are you working on a new writing project, you can tell us about?
I am a journalist at Le Monde Diplomatique. It is a job that requires a lot of time and energy. For now, my personal projects are progressing slowly.
Europe Books thanks the author Akram Belkaïd once again for taking the time and answering our questions. We are really pleased to have walked alongside him on the editorial path that led to the publication of his book Full moon over Baghdad. We wish him the best of luck for his book and for his future works.
To you, my dear reader, may this book intrigue and amuse you! At the same time I really wish it will provide you with new reflections and perspectives on the Arab World.
So, my dear reader, all I have to say is to enjoy your reading!
Your editor!