Dunya Mikhail’s work delves into the profound impacts of trauma and memory, particularly within the contexts of war and political oppression. Her poetry is characterized by a powerful personal voice that navigates through metaphor and symbolism. She frequently explores the stark contrasts between beauty and brutality, hope and despair, revealing the fragility of the human condition. Mikhail’s writing offers a poignant testament to resilience and survival in the face of immense adversity.
The collection features short poems inspired by Iraqi haiku, showcasing a profound wisdom that transcends cultural boundaries. Each piece encapsulates deep insights and emotions, inviting readers to explore themes of resilience and reflection through concise and impactful language.
A powerful and sweeping novel set over two tumultuous decades in Iraq from the National Book Award-nominated author of The Beekeeper. Shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction.
This work offers a profound poetic examination of language and gender, intertwined with themes of place and time, all viewed through the lens of exile. It delves into the complexities of identity and belonging, using vivid imagery and lyrical expression to capture the nuances of the human experience in relation to displacement. The exploration invites readers to reflect on the intersections of personal and collective histories shaped by the experience of being an outsider.
In The Beekeeper of Sinjar, the acclaimed poet and journalist Dunya Mikhail tells the harrowing stories of women from across Iraq who have managed to escape the clutches of ISIS. Since 2014, ISIS has been persecuting the Yazidi people, killing or enslaving those who won't convert to Islam. These women have lost their families and loved ones, along with everything they've ever known. Dunya Mikhail weaves together the women's tales of endurance and near-impossible escape with the story of her own exile and her dreams for the future of Iraq.In the midst of ISIS's reign of terror and hatred, an unlikely hero has emerged: the Beekeeper. Once a trader selling his mountain honey across the region, when ISIS came to Sinjar he turned his knowledge of the local terrain to another, more dangerous use. Along with a secret network of transporters, helpers, and former bootleggers, Abdullah Shrem smuggles brutalised Yazidi women to safety through the war-torn landscapes of Iraq, Syria, and Eastern Turkey.This powerful work of literary nonfiction offers a counterpoint to ISIS's genocidal extremism: hope, as ordinary people risk torture and death to save the lives of others.
A collection about war and its human cost by exiled Iraqi poet and a former literary editor of the Baghdad Observer.