War & Literature

Wars have changed the world around us, and peace did too. Wars themselves have changed … in terms of motives, weaponry, extent, ends, compromises … our human reflections upon wars have also changed … from Homer’s wanderings of Odysseus, to the atrocities committed by Napoleon’s army in Tolstoy’s ‘War & Peace’ …

An interesting series of reviews conducted by NPR, and are launched this month (July2007) reveals deep thoughts into wars as human experiences … the ideas discussed ignite many memories... sad/happy, old/new and painful ones. Nuruddin Farah, of Somalia says:

"My intention is to humanize the story of the civil war, so that instead of having a book like Black Hawk Down, in which the Somali people are wooden figures, with no life really to speak of, as a novelist I would like to humanize these people — give back their humanity to them."
(To listen to the whole interview follow the link: http://www.npr.org/templates/dmg/popup.php?id=11726074&type=1&date=05-Jul-2007&au=1&pid=54312134&random=4766514165&guid=00090226FAD0057221862A0561626364&uaType=WM&aaType=RM,WM&upf=Win32&topicName=Books&subtopicName=Authors&prgCode=ME&hubId=11668573&thingId=11726071&ssid=&tableModifier=&mtype=WM )


While Dunya Mikhail writes:

What good luck!
She has found his bones.
The skull is also in the bag
the bag in her hand
like all other bagsi
n all other trembling hands.
(To listen to the whole interview follow the link: http://www.npr.org/templates/dmg/popup.php?id=11762770&type=1&date=06-Jul-2007&au=1&pid=23622203&random=7723413154&guid=00090226FAD0057221862A0561626364&uaType=WM&aaType=RM,WM&upf=Win32&topicName=Books&subtopicName=Poetry&prgCode=ME&hubId=11668573&thingId=11762755&ssid=&tableModifier=&mtype=WM )


Other remarkable threads of thoughts are also reached through the simple expressive words of a mother of a wounded American soldier who lost a leg in Iraq, as Andrew Carroll edits 'Operation Homecoming':

It's strange and ironic how my perceptions of what is "good" have changed since May 2- the day she’d learnt about her son’s injury. I don't have the awful feeling of personal dread watching the news on television or reading the newspaper now, because my son is not over there anymore in that hell hole. He's no longer trying to survive the politics or the fanaticism or the insanity that is Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, when I go to Walter Reed, I think how fortunate he is to have "only" lost his leg.
(To listen to the whole interview follow the link: http://www.npr.org/templates/dmg/popup.php?id=11718803&type=1&date=04-Jul-2007&au=1&pid=54245127&random=1652464333&guid=00090226FAD0057221862A0561626364&uaType=WM&aaType=RM,WM&upf=Win32&topicName=Books&subtopicName=Non-Fiction&prgCode=ME&hubId=11668573&thingId=11718788&ssid=&tableModifier=&mtype=WM )

A feed to the interviews is introduced to the blog. Enjoy!

Tallal