---
product_id: 11041987
title: "The Iraqi Nights (New Directions Paperbook)"
brand: "dunya mikhailkareem james abu-zeid"
price: "KSh6115"
currency: KES
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 4
url: https://www.desertcart.co.ke/products/11041987-the-iraqi-nights-new-directions-paperbook
store_origin: KE
region: Kenya
---

# The Iraqi Nights (New Directions Paperbook)

**Brand:** dunya mikhailkareem james abu-zeid
**Price:** KSh6115
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** The Iraqi Nights (New Directions Paperbook) by dunya mikhailkareem james abu-zeid
- **How much does it cost?** KSh6115 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.ke](https://www.desertcart.co.ke/products/11041987-the-iraqi-nights-new-directions-paperbook)

## Best For

- dunya mikhailkareem james abu-zeid enthusiasts

## Why This Product

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## Description

Full description not available

## Images

![The Iraqi Nights (New Directions Paperbook) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51wBRIUzcaL.jpg)
![The Iraqi Nights (New Directions Paperbook) - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41o+27A+2SL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    each poem required an earmark, lovely and haunting.
  

*by A***R on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 26, 2017*

each poem required an earmark, lovely and haunting.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Five Stars
  

*by B***W on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 5, 2014*

I love this book of poetry.  Alive.  Graphic.  Surprising.  Mikhail's poems will inspire you to write better poems.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Touching and Delightful
  

*by F***B on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 12, 2014*

Touching and DelightfulThis is the second collection of poems, in translation, by Dunya Mikhail.  As it is the case with her first book of poetry "The War Works Hard" and her lyrical memoir "Diary of a Wave under the Sea," the poems in this collection are written with sensitivity and poetic intimacy.  Many of these poems are accompanied by delightful illustrations - drawn in ancient Sumerian style by the poet herself - and her handwritten original poems in Arabic.  Arabic speakers are able to enjoy the beauty of these poems as they were originally created, and also to appreciate the excellent work that the translator, Kareem Abu-Zeid, has done in his translation.What I find most appealing in Mikhail's poetry is the simplicity of her style and the way in which she surprises her readers with her wit and profound observations:The shadowsthe prisoners lefton the wallsurrounded the jailerand cast lighton his loneliness.  (p 26)Or as in:The person who gazed at me for so long,and whose gaze I returned for just as long ...The man who never once embraced me,and whom I never once embraced ...The rain wrecked the colors around himon that old canvas.  (p 22)Ever since she was fifteen years old, Mikhail has felt the effect of war or its aftermath in her native Iraq.  This experience has a profound effect on her and is reflected - perhaps subconsciously at times - in her poetry.  In "The War Woks Hard," she gave one of her gentlest poems the title "Non-Military Statements."  As another example, in the last poem in this volume, which is devoted to her daughter Larsa, she uses military images and expressions to express her love for her:...You open your armsAnd I know just how much I love you:I love you higher than the smoke in the city;I love you louder than the explosions;I love you deeper than the wounds,Iraqi and American,From an IED;...I love you wider than the fearthat brims in a time of war;...  (p 83)Yet, despite the years of war and other distressing experiences, Mikhail remains positive and optimistic.  Her poem "The End of the War" begins by declaring that everyone and everything tell her that the end of the world is near; the astrologers, the deadly new viruses, the wars, and others all have the same "cold and curt" message.  But she ends the poem with the following lines:But other things change my mind:The clouds that always know their way,The seashell that hasn't quite disclosed all,The wishes tossed with coins in the fountain,And the flower waiting to happen.Verses like these bring delight to every heart.  You can't go wrong by ordering this book.Fawzi M. YaqubFredonia, NY

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*Product available on Desertcart Kenya*
*Store origin: KE*
*Last updated: 2026-02-24*