The Corpse Washer

Fiction & Literature, Literary, Historical
Cover of the book The Corpse Washer by Sinan Antoon, Yale University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Sinan Antoon ISBN: 9780300195057
Publisher: Yale University Press Publication: July 30, 2013
Imprint: Yale University Press Language: English
Author: Sinan Antoon
ISBN: 9780300195057
Publisher: Yale University Press
Publication: July 30, 2013
Imprint: Yale University Press
Language: English

Young Jawad, born to a traditional Shi'ite family of corpse washers and shrouders in Baghdad, decides to abandon the family tradition, choosing instead to become a sculptor, to celebrate life rather than tend to death. He enters Baghdad’s Academy of Fine Arts in the late 1980s, in defiance of his father’s wishes and determined to forge his own path. But the circumstances of history dictate otherwise. Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship and the economic sanctions of the 1990s destroy the socioeconomic fabric of society. The 2003 invasion and military occupation unleash sectarian violence. Corpses pile up, and Jawad returns to the inevitable washing and shrouding. Trained as an artist to shape materials to represent life aesthetically, he now must contemplate how death shapes daily life and the bodies of Baghdad’s inhabitants.

Through the struggles of a single desperate family, Sinan Antoon’s novel shows us the heart of Iraq’s complex and violent recent history. Descending into the underworld where the borders between life and death are blurred and where there is no refuge from unending nightmares, Antoon limns a world of great sorrows, a world where the winds wail.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Young Jawad, born to a traditional Shi'ite family of corpse washers and shrouders in Baghdad, decides to abandon the family tradition, choosing instead to become a sculptor, to celebrate life rather than tend to death. He enters Baghdad’s Academy of Fine Arts in the late 1980s, in defiance of his father’s wishes and determined to forge his own path. But the circumstances of history dictate otherwise. Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship and the economic sanctions of the 1990s destroy the socioeconomic fabric of society. The 2003 invasion and military occupation unleash sectarian violence. Corpses pile up, and Jawad returns to the inevitable washing and shrouding. Trained as an artist to shape materials to represent life aesthetically, he now must contemplate how death shapes daily life and the bodies of Baghdad’s inhabitants.

Through the struggles of a single desperate family, Sinan Antoon’s novel shows us the heart of Iraq’s complex and violent recent history. Descending into the underworld where the borders between life and death are blurred and where there is no refuge from unending nightmares, Antoon limns a world of great sorrows, a world where the winds wail.

More books from Yale University Press

Cover of the book Restless Nights by Sinan Antoon
Cover of the book Faith, Science and Understanding by Sinan Antoon
Cover of the book Darwin's Pictures: Views of Evolutionary Theory, 1837-1874 by Sinan Antoon
Cover of the book Stalin's Wars: From World War to Cold War, 1939-1953 by Sinan Antoon
Cover of the book Defying the Odds: The Tule River Tribe's Struggle for Sovereignty in Three Centuries by Sinan Antoon
Cover of the book Gouverneur Morris by Sinan Antoon
Cover of the book Just Words: Lillian Hellman, Mary McCarthy, and the Failure of Public Conversation in America by Sinan Antoon
Cover of the book Abraham's Children: Liberty and Tolerance in an Age of Religious Conflict by Sinan Antoon
Cover of the book An Ethical Compass: Coming of Age in the 21st Century by Sinan Antoon
Cover of the book Frederick Barbarossa by Sinan Antoon
Cover of the book Restless Valley by Sinan Antoon
Cover of the book Theory of Literature by Sinan Antoon
Cover of the book The Warrior Generals: Winning the British Civil Wars by Sinan Antoon
Cover of the book Stall Points: Most Companies Stop Growing--Yours Doesn't Have To by Sinan Antoon
Cover of the book Jewish Materialism by Sinan Antoon
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy