Paperback Edition
ISBN: 9781558615724
Publication Date: 05-01-2008

Translated by Azza El Kholy and Amira Nowaira
Afterword by Nadje Al-Ali

Zubaida, an Iraqi exile, witnesses the 2003 invasion of Baghdad on her television in Berlin. Her memories, resembling ghostly hallucinations, reveal a startling and heart-wrenching narrative of war, loss, and longing for home.

"A strong, moving, and beautiful novel . . . that attempts to preserve [Iraq] by words . . . by the strength of a scream." —Alia Mamdouh, Iraqi winner of the Naquib Mahfouz Award in Arabic Literature

"Zubaida’s Window is a compelling, difficult, and important novel. . . . [It] flows seamlessly between past and present, experienced and imagined. . . . A must read for anyone looking for a fresh perspective on the war in Iraq and its effects on the lives of Iraqis.” —Feminist Review

"Zubaida's Window is not simply about the physical and material realities and hardships related to living in a strange place away from home. Exile here also refers to a state of mind and being. . . . Iqbal Al-Qazwini manages to capture the sense of alienations and paralysis experienced by millions of Iraqis throughout the world who have not only found themselves forced to flee their homes, but have been watching the destruction of their country from afar and in great despair." —Nadje Al-Ali from the Afterword

"A powerful commentary, not only on war but also on the alienation of exile." —Booklist

". . . the explosiveness of the past and present recollections that Zubaida experiences, closely connects to the explosiveness and tragedy of every event that has led Iraq to its current situation." —Three Percent