Hagar Before the Occupation, Hagar After the Occupation

“In spare, vivid, and poundingly heartfelt language, [al-Jubouri] shows us her country before the occupation by U.S. troops and afterward . . . these poems have a timeless, haunting quality, and they offer not just enormous pleasure but understanding.” —<em>Library Journal</em>, starred review ​”In a series of before-and-after poems, Amal al-Jubouri describes the changes in day-to-day action and mood in Baghdad and greater Iraq after the invasion by American forces and the fall of the Ba’ath Party in 2003.​ And she does this with much honesty and grace.”​ —<em>New Pages​</em> ​”. . .al-Jubouri’s blistering book of poetry, <em>Hagar Before The Occupation | Hagar After The Occupation</em> ​. . . ​nominated for a 2012 Best Translated Book of the Year award in the US, shows us both how difficult and how vital it is to create poetry in disaster. ​” —​​<em>Mint</em>​