Baghdad readers start 2024 with travel literature and poetry

MUTANABI STREET, BAGHDAD, 5 January – Al-Mutanabbi Street has witnessed a notable increase in the sales of travel literature and philosophy books, alongside a growing interest in contemporary poetry. The latest collection by Iraqi poet Mowaffak Mohammed and the Asian love story “Ali and Nino” are particularly popular among young readers.

Raja Al-Rubaie, the manager of the Union of Writers’ bookshop, told 964media, “Recently, there’s been a surge in interest in travel literature, including ‘The Iraqi Ibn Battuta’ by Saadoun Shafeeq and Zuhair Karim’s ‘Literature of Travel’.”

This week also saw an increase in demand for the poetry collection “Between Two Martyrs” by Mowaffak Mohammed, with the younger demographic being the primary purchasers.

Wissam Fakher from Al-Jamal Publications highlighted the popularity of “Ali and Nino,” a classic love story set in Baku between 1918-1920, involving a Muslim Azerbaijani boy and a Christian girl. The novel portrays the vibrant city of Baku during the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan, before the long Soviet rule.

In addition, philosophical works continue to interest readers, with the books of Romanian-French philosopher Emil Cioran, especially “The Fall into Time,” topping sales charts.