“There hasn't been a lot written about it in the Western media. But in the Arab world, and Western Asia as a whole, Baghdad was always known as a famously bookish, intellectual city. There's an old saying that Cairo writes, Beirut publishes, and Baghdad reads.” WorldWritingWholeCitiesKnownWrittenMediaIntellectualWesternAsiaPublishBaghdadOld SayingArab WorldBeirutCairoWestern Media Author:Annia Ciezadlo
“Pedro Teixeira, the great Portuguese merchant-adventurer, wrote a beautiful description of a coffeehouse with windows overlooking the Tigris and the ruins of old Baghdad. That was in 1604, and he's visiting the same street that I write about in the book, named after Abu Nuwas, though it wasn't called that back then.” WritingBookBeautifulStreetsWindowRuinsDescriptionVisitingMerchantsAdventurerBaghdadPortugueseOverlooking Author:Annia Ciezadlo
“There is a feminist proverb I learned from my mother: The personal is political. There's a powerful literary stereotype that men write about war and politics and public life, while women confine themselves to family and food and personal life.” MenWritingWarPoliticalMotherPowerfulFeministStereotypePersonal LifePublic Life Author:Annia Ciezadlo
“I chose to write about food: food is inherently political, but it's also an essential part of people's real lives. It's where the public and private spheres connect. I wanted to show readers that the larger politics of war and economics and U.S. foreign policy are inextricably bound to the supposedly trivial details of our everyday lives.” PeopleWritingWarRealShowsWantedPoliticalPolicyReaderEssentialsEconomicsEverydayBoundsDetailsReal LifeSpheresForeign PolicyEveryday Life Author:Annia Ciezadlo
“So much of what we see and hear about the Middle East focuses on what we call politics, which is essentially ideology. But when it comes to the Middle East, and especially the Arab world, simply depicting people as human beings is the most political thing you can do. And that's why I chose to write about food: food is inherently political, but it's also an essential part of people's real lives. It's where the public and private spheres connect.” PeopleWorldWritingHumansRealPoliticalCan DoHuman BeingsMiddleEssentialsEastReal LifeIdeologySpheresMiddle EastArab World Author:Annia Ciezadlo
