Review Once Upon A Time In Iraq

Balian, Basil, Once Upon A Time In Iraq, Basil Balian, 2008

 

Basil Balian is an Iraqi-Armenian who grew up in Diyala and Baghdad under the monarchy. His autobiographical Once Upon A Time In Iraq is about his memories of his home in Iraq and then a short section on how he came to the U.S. and started a family there. It’s a quick and enjoyable read and provides another Iraqi voice too few of which are heard in the West.

 

Bailan’s book focuses upon the 1940s and 50s when he was a kid in Iraq. Overall he mythologizes the monarchy as a period when there was no sectarianism in the country and things were peaceful. He talks about being an Armenian and knowing Sunnis, Kurds, Assyrians and some Shiites. His view is colored by the fact that his family was wealthy and he went to a series of private schools so he was really only associating with the middle and upper classes something that he readily admits. He writes that he had little interactions with the poor who made up the vast majority of the country’s population.

 

The best part of Once Upon A Time In Iraq are the stories. He starts for instance with going to the local police station to get a permit to go to the U.S. to attend college only to be told that in the census he was listed as 18 not 17 years old and that meant he had to report for military service. He tried everything to get out of that predicament but the army told him again and again he was going to be enlisted. Finally, a teacher at his school took him to see an officer and told him that she was not going to leave the office until Basil had his age changed. The sheer will power of this woman intimidated the man and he eventually agreed.

 

Another time the author writes about how his uncle went to visit his brother in Basra. The brother had a large American car and a chauffeur. They went for a drive the day that the king was supposed to be visiting the city and everyone thought they were royalty. The brother shrunk down into the backseat so no one could see him while the uncle waved his hand lapping up the temporary celebrity.

 

Once Upon A Time In Iraq is a fun book. It gives a slice of life look at a young Iraqi maturing under the monarchy. There are interesting anecdotes and observations. It’s also by an Armenian a group that is rarely talked about in Iraq. When so much is written about the violence and dysfunction in the country it’s nice to read something different.

 

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