All About Saddam Hussein Books

By Ines Flores


Born in 1937, Saddam Hussein ruled Iraqi as president from 1979 to 2006. He is most remembered for nationalizing the Iraqi oil industry and military. Also, he was a brutal leader, using force to maintain power. The brutality cost him his life as he was found guilty of crimes against humanity and genocide. For the offences, the Iraqi government executed him in 2006. Another thing he is remembered for is four Saddam Hussein books he wrote.

In the list of books written by Saddam include four novels and a few poems. The novels include Men and City, Begone, Demons, Zabibah and the King and also The Fortified Castle. They were anonymously published using the pen name of the author. Some of these materials became part of the curriculum for schools in Iraq. Others became best sellers after his death.

The first novel is Zabibah and the King. Its a romance novel written by Saddam Hussein and published anonymously in 2000. It has several characters including the protagonist the Arab, Zabibah, her husband, Nuri, Shamil and Hezkel. Despite a romantic theme, the novel is largely an allegory and political metaphor. Arab the protagonist is Hussein while Zabibah the poor unloved woman represents the Iraq people.

The relationship between Zabibah and her husband is unloving and cruel. At one point he rapes her, which is believed to represent Iraqs invasion. As a result, the husband is an allegory to the United States. Hezkel, Nuri and Shemel represent other perceived enemies of Iraq such as Israel, Jews and merchants. The novel sold over a million copies and proceeds donated to charity.

The other novel authored by the former Iraq leader is Men and the City. Published in 2002, it is third of his books to be published. Men and the City is slightly different from the others as it is more of an autobiography. It tells the story of Husseins grandfather and his war to defeat the Turks of the Ottoman Empire. Some people say that this book was ghostwritten but evidence exists to dispute this.

The Fortified Castle is Husseins third novel. Like most of the others, it is a political metaphor and allegory. Published in 2001, it is about the delayed wedding of the Iraq protagonist to a Kurdish girl. The protagonist, Sabah is a war hero from the Iran-Iraq war. The fortified castle makes a reference to Iraq with many proposals to divide its wealth.

The fourth and last novel by Saddam is Begone, Demons that is a loose translation of Get out of here, Cursed You! Written in 2003, it is an anticipation of the 2003 Iraq war. It was published in 2006 in Tokyo by a Japanese publisher. It is a work of fiction but with political metaphor. It was initially in Japanese and later translated to Turkish.

The four books written by Saddam Hussein are very significant to him, his era and Iraq. They were all authored at a time when his political career had begun to die. Also, it represents a troubling period for him and Iraq citizens. Lastly, they are a demonstration of hope, strength and a bit of ignorance for a person who considered himself a hero.




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