The Sand Cafe

A Novel

Fiction & Literature, Military
Cover of the book The Sand Cafe by Neil MacFarquhar, PublicAffairs
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Neil MacFarquhar ISBN: 9781586486006
Publisher: PublicAffairs Publication: August 5, 2007
Imprint: PublicAffairs Language: English
Author: Neil MacFarquhar
ISBN: 9781586486006
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Publication: August 5, 2007
Imprint: PublicAffairs
Language: English

Dhahran Palace Hotel, Saudi Arabia, 1991. The US forces are massing on the border with Iraq, preparing to throw Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait. Men and material are arriving daily, helicopters and armor are training in the desert sand. There are rumors of Scud missiles, talk of the possibility of chemical attack, but in fact, nothing is really happening. With no story to report, the press is getting restive. The Sand Café is a satire of modern war reporting that mercilessly exposes the life of the foreign correspondent: endless scurrying trips in pursuit of a really big story, gathering frustration, brewing jealousy directed towards other reporters, especially those from better financed TV networks, and the stale smell of damp rot that comes from a combination of leaking air-conditioning and wretched carpeting in the hotel where the entire bedraggled press corps is housed. Boredom massages idle thoughts into wild excesses, even in a country that officially bans the sale of alcohol. Neil MacFarquhar, a veteran of the Middle East foreign press corps, has written a woundingly witty black comedy of those who bring us news from the front lines, exposing their vanities, rivalries and petty distractions. Love, lust for fame and the magnificent gilded hypocrisy of the regime in Saudi make this novel as revealing as it is compelling.

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

Dhahran Palace Hotel, Saudi Arabia, 1991. The US forces are massing on the border with Iraq, preparing to throw Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait. Men and material are arriving daily, helicopters and armor are training in the desert sand. There are rumors of Scud missiles, talk of the possibility of chemical attack, but in fact, nothing is really happening. With no story to report, the press is getting restive. The Sand Café is a satire of modern war reporting that mercilessly exposes the life of the foreign correspondent: endless scurrying trips in pursuit of a really big story, gathering frustration, brewing jealousy directed towards other reporters, especially those from better financed TV networks, and the stale smell of damp rot that comes from a combination of leaking air-conditioning and wretched carpeting in the hotel where the entire bedraggled press corps is housed. Boredom massages idle thoughts into wild excesses, even in a country that officially bans the sale of alcohol. Neil MacFarquhar, a veteran of the Middle East foreign press corps, has written a woundingly witty black comedy of those who bring us news from the front lines, exposing their vanities, rivalries and petty distractions. Love, lust for fame and the magnificent gilded hypocrisy of the regime in Saudi make this novel as revealing as it is compelling.

More books from PublicAffairs

Cover of the book The Shanghai Free Taxi by Neil MacFarquhar
Cover of the book Page One by Neil MacFarquhar
Cover of the book Real Impact by Neil MacFarquhar
Cover of the book Why Growth Matters by Neil MacFarquhar
Cover of the book Spalding's World Tour by Neil MacFarquhar
Cover of the book What Is Life Worth? by Neil MacFarquhar
Cover of the book The Agitator by Neil MacFarquhar
Cover of the book Sincerely, Andy Rooney by Neil MacFarquhar
Cover of the book The Ultimate Weapon is No Weapon by Neil MacFarquhar
Cover of the book The Red Web by Neil MacFarquhar
Cover of the book The American Dream by Neil MacFarquhar
Cover of the book I Swear I'll Make It Up to You by Neil MacFarquhar
Cover of the book Children of the Days by Neil MacFarquhar
Cover of the book Injustices by Neil MacFarquhar
Cover of the book The Years of Talking Dangerously by Neil MacFarquhar
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