Saad Z Hossain

Saad Z Hossain is a Bangladeshi author writing in English. His war satire, Escape from Baghdad!, was published in 2015 by Unnamed Press[1] in the US, and Aleph[2] in India. It is currently being translated into French.

Criticism

The book received great reviews, and was included in some year end lists, including Financial Times Books of the year 2015[3] and Tor Reviewers Choice for 2015.[4]

A marvelous mix of genres, blending the visceral atmosphere of a war movie with the casual nihilism of Catch-22 or the original M.A.S.H. complete with an Indiana Jones–style treasure quest to employ a mystical watch that doesn’t tell time to unleash the ancient power of the Druze before the sect’s ancient Alchemist, the real enemy, catches up with them ... A gonzo adventure novel that shreds the conventional wisdom that pulp can be pigeonholed." -Kirkus Reviews[5]
Saad Hossain has given us a hilarious and searing indictment of the project we euphemistically call 'nation-building.' With nods to Catch-22, Frankenstein, The Island of Doctor Moreau and the Golem myth, Escape from Baghdad! weaves fantasy, absurdity and adventure into a moving counter-narrative to the myth of the just war.

—Daniel José Older, NPR[6]

Saad Hossain is the author of Escape from Baghdad!, an engrossing cross between Zero Dark Thirty and Raiders of the Lost Ark that takes a sobering look at America's troubled legacy in Iraq. It's easily one of the best (and strangest, and most badass) books I've read in 2015.

-Bookslut[7]

Saad Hossain's perplexingly weird debut novel, Escape From Baghdad!, captures the pure insanity of the Iraq War. At the same time, it's not a war novel. Instead, it's a skillfully constructed literary IED that brings together the sharpest aspects from multiple genres. It's a Tarantino-esque Heart of Darkness set in war-torn Iraq, filled with absurdism and dark humor, a mash-up of satirical Joseph Heller-style comedy and sci-fi fantasy with a gratuitous mixture of good old-fashioned ultra-violence.

-Colby Buzzell, Vice[8]

Anthologies

His short stories have also been included in various anthologies, most notable of which are:

"Djinns Live by the Sea", in the Apex Book of World SF 4.[9]

"Bring Your Own Spoon", in The Djinns Fall in Love (out March 2017).[10]

References

  1. ↑ "Saad Z. Hossain". Unnamed Press. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  2. ↑ Saad Z. Hossain (2013-07-18). "Saad Z. Hossain". Aleph Book Company. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  3. ↑ November 27, 2015 by: Lorien Kite (2015-11-27). "The FT's best books of 2015". Ft.com. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  4. ↑ "Reviewers' Choice: The Best Books of 2015". Tor.com. 2015-12-02. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  5. ↑ Hossain, Saad (2015-03-17). "ESCAPE FROM BAGHDAD! by Saad Hossain". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  6. ↑ Older, Daniel José (2015-03-17). "'Escape' Is A Searing Indictment Of Nation-Building". NPR. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  7. ↑ Adam Morgan. "An Interview with Saad Hossain". Bookslut. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  8. ↑ Buzzell, Colby (2015-10-14). "'Escape From Baghdad' Is the 'Slaughterhouse Five' of the Iraq War". VICE. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  9. ↑ The Apex Book of World SF: Volume 4 (2015-07-08). "The Apex Book of World SF 4 edited by Mahvesh Murad | Apex Publications". Apexbookcompany.com. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  10. ↑ "Revealing the Table of Contents for The Djinn Falls in Love". Tor.com. 2016-10-20. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/9/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.