The Evolution of a Contemporary Iraqi Intellectual: Reflections on Ahmed Saadawi's First Four Novels

Abstract

This article focuses on Iraqi writer Ahmad Saadawi's first four novels, which were authored over a period of roughly two decades during the last years of the Ba'th Party regime and after its toppling in 2003. These literary narratives are addressed as a reflection of Saadawi's intellectual development. The article shows that, more than anything else, the sectarian civil war of 2006–7 was a watershed event for his literary work.