''Our Man in Iraq'' () is a

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

by Croatian author

Robert Perišić Robert Perišić (born 1969 in Split, Croatia) is a Croatian writer. His books are considered as authentic portrayals of society in transformation and its antiheroes. Biography Perišić graduated in Literature and Croatian language from the Uni ...

. It was originally published in

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

, where it became a bestseller and received the ''

Jutarnji list () is a Croatian daily newspaper based in Zagreb. It was published on 6 April 1998 by EPH (Europapress holding, owned by Ninoslav Pavić), which eventually changed its name in Hanza Media after being bought by Marijan Hanžeković. The newspap ...

'' prize for best prose in 2007. The novel was also awarded the Literaturpreis der Steiermärkischen Sparkasse in 2011. ''Our Man in Iraq'' was translated into English by

Will Firth Will Firth (born 23 May 1965) is an Australian literary translator who focuses on contemporary writing from the Serbo-Croatian speaking countries and North Macedonia. He graduated in German and Russian (with Serbo-Croatian as a minor) from the A ...

and published in the United Kingdom in 2012 by

Istros Books Istros books is a London-based independent publisher of writers from South-East Europe and the Balkans, in English translation. It was set up in 2011 by Susan Curtis. Publications Notable publications include: *''Doppelgänger'' by Daša Drndić ...

and in the United States the following year by

Black Balloon Publishing Elizabeth Robinson Koch ( ; born 1976) is an American publisher, writer, and nonprofit founder. The daughter of billionaire businessman Charles Koch, she founded the publishing company Catapult in 2015. Koch is a founder and donor in multiple o ...

. It is available in

paperback A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, also known as wrappers, and often held together with adhesive, glue rather than stitch (textile arts), stitches or Staple (fastener), staples. In contrast, ...

and

e-book An ebook (short for electronic book), also spelled as e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in electronic form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Al ...

formats. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' called the English translation "a must-read ... brilliantly captures modern-day Zagreb." It was also praised by ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' as a "smart, cutting book" and by ''

The Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands division. The newspaper was establis ...

'' as "terrifically witty and original." ''

The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...

'' compared the English translation to ''

The Good Soldier Švejk ''The Good Soldier Švejk'' () is an unfinished satirical dark comedy novel by Czech writer Jaroslav Hašek, published in 1921–1923, about a good-humored, simple-minded, middle-aged man who appears to be enthusiastic to serve Austria-Hungary i ...

'' by

Jaroslav Hašek Jaroslav Hašek (; 1883–1923) was a Czechs, Czech writer, Humorism, humorist, Satire, satirist, journalist, Bohemianism, bohemian, first anarchist and then communist, and commissar of the Red Army against the Czechoslovak Legion. He is best k ...

and ''

Slaughterhouse Five ''Slaughterhouse-Five, or, The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death'' is a 1969 semi-autobiographic science fiction-infused anti-war novel by Kurt Vonnegut. It follows the life experiences of Billy Pilgrim, from his early years, to his t ...

'' by

Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut ( ; November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American author known for his Satire, satirical and darkly humorous novels. His published work includes fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and five nonfict ...

. According to ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'' described the novel as ''"has a levity informed by the sense of social fluidity that comes with democracy."'' Saul Austerlitz, writing in ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'', called the work a comic novel, stating it was ''"an extended ruse ...

ith The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometers, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is i ...

combat scrupulously at a distance"''. Set in

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

during 2003, ''Our Man in Iraq'' follows Toni, a journalist who is besieged by his rural relatives with requests for work. Succumbing to his mother's nagging, Toni arranges for his cousin Boris to cover the ongoing U.S

invasion of Iraq An invasion is a military offensive of combatants of one geopolitical entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory controlled by another similar entity, often involving acts of aggression. Generally, invasions have objectives ...

despite his lasting

shell shock Shell shock is a term that originated during World War I to describe symptoms similar to those of combat stress reaction and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which many soldiers suffered during the war. Before PTSD was officially recogni ...

from the

Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence) and (rarely) "War in Krajina" ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Рат у Крајини, Rat u Krajini) are used. was an armed conflict fought in Croatia from 1991 to 1995 between Croats, Croat forces loyal to the Governmen ...

. As Boris's reports from Iraq become increasingly strange, Toni secretly rewrites them until they cease coming in altogether and Boris goes missing. Toni is forced to keep Boris's disappearance from his family and his newspaper while negotiating his own romantic, cultural and professional hurdles in a nation that is awkwardly progressing from

socialism Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

global capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining Profit (economics), profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages a ...

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite news , url = http://danas.net.hr/kultura/perisicu-nagrada , title = Perišiću nagrada Jutarnjeg , trans-title = Perišić Prize of Jutarnji , language = Croatian , access-date = 2013-11-25 , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131202233757/http://danas.net.hr/kultura/perisicu-nagrada , archive-date = 2013-12-02 , url-status = dead {{cite news , url = http://www.buecher.at/show_content.php?sid=94&detail_id=5113 , title = Literaturpreis der Steiermärkischen Sparkasse , date = 2011-11-25 , language = de , trans-title = Literature Prize of Steiermärkische Sparkasse , archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20131202234456/http://www.buecher.at/show_content.php?sid=94&detail_id=5113 , archivedate = 2013-12-02 , accessdate = 2019-03-29 , url-status = dead {{cite news , url = https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2012/dec/07/zagreb-top-10-alternative-city-guide , title = Top 10 alternative hang-outs in Zagreb , work =

, author = , date = 2012-12-07 , page = , location = , isbn = , language = , trans-title = , accessdate = 2019-03-29 , quote = {{cite news , url = http://new.publishersweekly.com/978-1-936787-05-0 , title = Our Man in Iraq , work =

, author = , date = , page = , location = , isbn = , language = , trans-title = , accessdate = 2019-03-29 , quote = {{cite news , url = https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/07/01/our-man-in-iraq , title = Our man in Iraq , work =

New Yorker magazine ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York ...

, author = , date = 2013-07-01 , page = , location = , isbn = , language = , trans-title = , accessdate = 2019-03-29 , quote = {{cite news , url = https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/books/2013/04/11/book-review-our-man-iraq-robert-perisic/Lj7GW46dp2uUrDf9EK9JYO/story.html , title = ‘Our Man in Iraq’ by Robert Perisic , work =

Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

, author = Saul Austerlitz , date = 2013-04-11 , page = , location = , isbn = , language = , trans-title = , accessdate = 2019-03-29 , quote =

External links

Official U.S. site
2007 in Croatia Croatian novels Novels set in Croatia Zagreb in fiction Black Balloon Publishing books