October, 2012 Biblio File Between Iraq and a hard place: Former Society of Midland Authors President Craig Sautter and his brother, Chris, (who run Sautter Communications) Author’s tale of writing in Arabic made two 21/2-minute videos shown at the BY THOMAS FRISBIE beautifully written story, so I praise Democratic National f you want to be a successful author in Mahmoud for his original writing and Convention in Iraq, you need to avoid three topics: Allen for the work he did on translating in Charlotte, S.C. One Isex, politics and religion. English.” was on President That’s what Iraqi author Mahmoud Saeed has written more than 20 novels Barack Obama and Saeed, who now teaches Arabic language and short story collections. After Iraq’s education policy; the courses, Arab culture and Iraqi political 1963 coup, the government destroyed other was on Obama history at DePaul University in Chicago, manuscripts of two of his two novel man- and energy policy. (If told authors Oct. 9 at the monthly Society uscripts – The Old Case and The Strike. the videos put Barack of Midland Authors program at the Cliff The government banned all his books Craig Sautter over the top, the Dwellers club in Chicago. written after 1963, including Rhythm and Obama campaign has Saeed, who was imprisoned six times Obsession in 1968 and Rue Ben Barka in promised to buy up the remaining stock and whose books were banned in Iraq, 1970 (it was published 15 years later in of SMA mugs.) Craig also appeared on admitted he wasn’t exactly an example of Egypt). Saeed fled Iraq in 1985. public radio station WBEZ-FM with how to succeed as an Of Saeed’s other Walter Podrazik for an hour discussion author in the Arab lit- novel to be translated on conventions past and present with erary world. Saeed into English, Saddam Steve Edwards on Edwards’ “Afternoon was accompanied by City, a New Yorker Shift” program. (Steve has since traded in Allen Salter, who reviewer said, “For all his job at WBEZ for a position at the helped to translate one the horror it details, University of Chicago’s new Institute of of Saeed’s books, The this is a startlingly Politics, and Rick Kogan is doing World Through the warm and humane “Afternoon Shift.”) This summer, Craig Eyes of Angels book.” was twice on Bruce Dumont’s syndicated (Syracuse University Saddam City, trans- Mahmoud Saeed Allen Salter “Beyond the Beltway,” talking about the Press). It was the sec- lated by Lake Forest 2012 election. Now he is back to three ond of Saeed’s novels College professor campaigns, and DePaul University, teach- to be translated into English. Ahmad Sadri, tells of the fear and despair ing two sessions of “Chicago Politics: Saeed’s story, Salter said, is a “mar- of a Baghdad schoolteacher as he is shut- Bosses & Reformers” and his “Creative velous tale, his odyssey, a young Iraqi tled from prison to prison. It is based on Ink” creative writing class. ... Amina boy who fell in love with books, began to Saeed’s own experiences. Gautier took third place in the 2012 write books and embarked on what has to Saeed and Salter’s collaboration began Glimmer Train be the least rewarding career path in the about six years ago, when a friend of Fiction Open and word, that of a novelist and intellectual in Salter’s who happened to be teaching won the 2012 the Arab world.” English to Saeed asked Salter – who Crazyhorse Fiction SMA President Robert Loerzel, who works as a translator – to help Saeed Prize. ... Remember introduced the speakers, said of Saeed’s “negotiate the shoals ... of the American Sherlock Holmes’ work, “This is a book that I had the pleas- publishing industry.” “curious incident of ure of reading this summer. It is a really Turn to Page 2 the dog in the night As Holmes would time” – curious, say, game was afoot because the dog did nothing? In August, SMA Recording Literary Landscape New Literary Life Secretary Anastasia Royal’s dog also did Gregory Harms Books Nicholas Kokonis nothing – and she was glad of it. While PAGE 3 PAGES 4-5 PAGE 7 Turn to Page 2 Biblio File n Author’s tale Continued from Page 1 Continued from Page 1 “I went down to Belmont, where Mah- on a walk in Chicago’s north suburb of moud lives, and we got together and went I work washing Wilmette, the two encountered an unex- out for a drink and hit it off and became dishes only to get some pectedly outsized feline peering out of a fast friends immediately,” Salter said. “ row of bushes. “I saw a mountain lion in “The more I talked to Mahmoud, the money to live and Wilmette up close and personal!” more I became amazed at his experiences, write. Anastasia e-mailed. “I was so shocked his biography, the things that he had when this happened. Luckily and unchar- undergone, sacrificed for his writing,” ministry, which has strict guidelines, acteristically, my little dog, Moxie, didn’t Salter added. “And he started giving me including” no sex, religion or politics, bark as she strained on the leash.” In non- things of his to read in Arabic, and I read Saeed said. mountain-lion-related news, Anastasia a novel of his called The Daughters of To get by financially after coming to won the “Why My Mom Is No. 1” essay Jacob, which has regrettably not yet been the United States, Saeed took on such contest in Wilmette. And the new book translated into English [and] which I jobs as driving a delivery truck. she helped her sister, veterinarian Barbara thought was very, very good. At some “I work washing dishes, only to get Royal, write: Royal Treatment: A Natural point he asked me: would you finish some money to live and write,” he said. Approach to Wildly Healthy Pets translating this novel of mine?, and I fool- Another of Saeed’s books, Rue Ben (Atria/Emily Bestler Books) came out ishly said yes.” Barka, which is is set during his years of Sept. 18. ... Former SMA president Unable to find a publisher, Saeed had exile in Tunisia and was banned in Iraq, James Merriner delivered a paper to a hired translators to start the project, but soon will be published in English by conference of “goo goos” Sept. 28 in he couldn’t afford to finish it. Interlink Books. which he argued that campaign financial “Mahmoud had never had the good for- &&& reform is little more than a fraud and a tune to sell a lot of copies in Arabic, part- Upcoming Society of Midland Authors hoax (because it hasn’t worked). Goo ly because the Arabic market is very programs are: goos, as you may remember from one of small,” Salter said. Nov. 13: Gregory Harms, author of It's Jim’s book titles, are good-government Salter completed work on the untrans- Not About Religion. See Literary types. Jim e-mailed to say, “I said it was lated portion, edited “the whole thing into Landscape, Page 3. a coherent whole” and sent it to an agent. Turn to Page 3 Jan. 8: Peter Nolan, author of Campaign! Meanwhile, Saeed entered the manu- The 1983 Election that Rocked Chicago. script into the King Fahd Middle Eastern Location: Harold Washington Library, not Studies Award for Arabic Literary the usual Cliff Dwellers. (See story below). Translation, which is run by the Feb. 13: Gillian Flynn, author of Gone University of Arkansas and is one of the Girl” (currently No. 1 on The New York leading prizes in the field of Arabic-to- Times fiction best-seller list). Note: 2012, Society English literary translation. The award, Because of a scheduling conflict, this is a of Midland Authors which Saeed’s book won in 2010, Wednesday, not our normal Tuesday night P.O. Box 10419, Chicago IL 60610 includes publication of the winning book program. Harold Washington Library. by the Syracuse University Press. March 12: Gerry Souter, American Editor: Thomas Frisbie The novel tells the story of a sensitive Shooter. Harold Washington Library. [email protected] and loving boy assailed by the cruelty of April 16: Edward Hirsch, Cliff life as he grows up in Mosul, Iraq, in the Dwellers. www.midlandauthors.com 1940s. Saeed was born in Mosul, where he lived until 1985. The Society of Midland Authors’ 2012- Follow the Society on Life as an author was difficult in Iraq 2013 programs may be heard in their Twitter@midlandauthors because to be published an author must entirety at www.chicagopublicradio.org/ submit a manuscript to a government amplified. Society of Midland Authors members can now pay their membership dues, buy tickets to the annual dinner and Program location changes Because the library is closed on make donations on our website with Lincoln's Birthday, the February program PayPal (there is a $1 fee to help cover Our normal space for our monthly pro- will be held on a Wednesday instead of PayPal’s fee). To make a donation, visit grams will change from January through the normal Tuesday. And while at the our home page at www.midlandau- March because the Cliff Dwellers is shut- library, the talks will begin at 6 p.m. thors.com and click on the "Donate" ting down for remodeling. instead of the usual 7 p.m. button in the upper right corner. So we will hold our programs instead Normally, we have a social hour at 6 at the Harold Washington Library. and the program at 7.