ISBN: Ostalo
Godina izdanja: 2011
Jezik: Engleski
Autor: Strani

Tales of the Iran-Iraq War

Soureh Mehr Publishing House 2011 222 strane

odlična očuvanost

Overview of the stories
Rather than providing a broad historical account, the stories in A City under Siege offer intimate, micro-level perspectives on the war`s psychological and emotional toll. Many are narrated in the first person and feature a strong sense of immediacy and irony. The narratives often contain twists and cover a range of emotions, from dark humor to heartbreaking grief.
The collection`s nine stories include:

`Eagle Feather`: The opening story, which builds suspense as a soldier observes an Iraqi enemy and prepares to launch an artillery shell.
`The Airplane`: A story that traces a child`s fascination with a toy airplane to the massacre in Halabcheh.
`Thirty-nine plus One Prisoners`: A teenage paramilitary escorts Iraqi prisoners behind Iranian lines.
`Neneh`: The final and most heartbreaking story, where a mother loses three sons in the war and experiences a mix-up with the body of her last son.

Author`s background
Habib Ahmadzadeh was a veteran of the Iran-Iraq War, serving first as a teenage Basiji (paramilitary volunteer) and later as a captain in the army. His personal experience in the war lends authenticity to his writing.
Critical reception and themes
The collection provides Western audiences with an inside look into the human experience of the Iran-Iraq War from the Iranian perspective. Criticisms noted Ahmadzadeh`s authorial tics and storytelling `tricks` but acknowledged him as a talented writer who crafted effective narratives.
Key themes include:

The overwhelming power of fate during wartime.
The ironic contrast between dark humor and grief.
The psychological burden of conflict.
The struggle to retain humanity in the face of brutal conditions.