Name: The Iron Grasshopper. A Childhood Autobiography; The Incomplete Biography of a Child Who Saw Nothing but a Fugitive Land, So He Shouted: These Are My Traps, O Sandgrouse!
SKU: 64798115
Author: Salim Barakat;Mahmoud Hosny Roshdy
ISBN: 9781803094939

portada The Iron Grasshopper. A Childhood Autobiography; The Incomplete Biography of a Child Who Saw Nothing but a Fugitive Land, So He Shouted: These Are My Traps, O Sandgrouse!

The Iron Grasshopper. A Childhood Autobiography; The Incomplete Biography of a Child Who Saw Nothing but a Fugitive Land, So He Shouted: These Are My Traps, O Sandgrouse!

Type

Physical Book

Publisher

Seagull Books London Ltd

Author

Salim Barakat;Mahmoud Hosny Roshdy

Collection

The Arab List

Year

2025

Pages

Format

Hardcover

Dimensions

22.9x15.2 cm

ISBN13

9781803094939

The Iron Grasshopper. A Childhood Autobiography; The Incomplete Biography of a Child Who Saw Nothing but a Fugitive Land, So He Shouted: These Are My Traps, O Sandgrouse!

Salim Barakat;Mahmoud Hosny Roshdy (Author) · Seagull Books London Ltd · Hardcover

Out of Stock

Synopsis "The Iron Grasshopper. A Childhood Autobiography; The Incomplete Biography of a Child Who Saw Nothing but a Fugitive Land, So He Shouted: These Are My Traps, O Sandgrouse!"

Through vivid vignettes and lyrical prose, The Iron Grasshopper transcends memoir, immersing readers in the poignant and turbulent realities of a Kurdish childhood in mid-twentieth-century Syria. Kurdish-Syrian poet and novelist Salim Barakat, one of the most distinctive writers in contemporary Arabic literature, has mesmerized the Arab literary scene since his first volume of poetry appeared in 1972. Now, his unique memoir—first published in 1980—is finally available in English translation. In The Iron Grasshopper, Barakat offers a poignant and evocative portrayal of his childhood. Set against the backdrop of the mid-twentieth century, Barakat’s memoir recounts his formative years in a small town near the Taurus Mountains. Through a series of vivid and often unsettling vignettes, he captures the turbulence and wonder of growing up in a landscape marked by political upheaval, cultural conflicts, and personal discovery. Barakat’s story intertwines childhood innocence with the harsh realities of violence and discrimination against Kurds, shaping his relationship with his homeland, the Arabic language, and his identity as a writer. The memoir’s rich prose and lyrical reflections invite readers into Barakat’s inner world, where the boundaries between past and present blur, and the simplicity of childhood is juxtaposed with profound existential musings.