The Monument: Art and Vulgarity in Saddam Hussein's Iraq (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781860649660)

In Baghdad, an enormous monument nearly twice the size of the Arc de Triomphe towers over the city. Two huge forearms emerge from the ground, clutching two swords that clash overhead. Those arms are enlarged casts of those of Saddam Hussein, showing every bump and follicle. The "Victory Arch" celebrates a victory over Iran (in their eight-year-long war) that never happened. This text is a study of the interplay between art and politics - of how culture, normally an unquestioned good, can play into the hands of a power with devastating effects. Kanan Makiya uses the culture invented by Saddam Hussein as a window into the nature of totalitarianism and shows how art can become the weapon of dictatorship. Under Saddam Hussein, culture connived in his evil - this text explains how. It should be useful reading for anyone concerned with the power of culture and the culture of power.

Author: Kanan Makiya
ISBN-10: 1860649661
ISBN-13: 9781860649660
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Language: English
Published: 12/31/2003
Pages: 153
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.82lbs
Size: 8.10h x 5.88w x 0.52d

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 03/29/2004