The Demonic Comedy

by Paul William Roberts

Book Overview

"Political conditions in the Middle East are splayed open in Roberts' restless journal, revealing his remarkable if bizarre insider's interpretation of political events, and the horrendous realities experienced by citizens of the war-torn region." - Booklist

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374527466
• ISBN13: 9780374527464
• Release Date: March 2004
• Publisher: Farrar, Strauss & Giroux-3pl
• Length: 308 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Brilliant

If you haven't read anything yet by Paul William Roberts, it is a shame. Aside from being brilliant, hilarious, poignant, and deeply revealing, he is also a wonderful representative of Canada in all his journeys. His books are combination travelogue, deeply moving real life human drama, and historical summaries, leaving the reader feeling like he knows everything about the land and people he has just met for us. The first book I read of his was 'Empire of the Soul', a masterpiece of Indian encounters, and although I am not always interested in his subjects, I will continue to read absolutely anything he will ever produce, simply on the fact that his books are always extremely enjoyable, and teach me a lot about things I could never know. 'Demonic Comedy' will teach you more about the middle east, the gulf war, and Saddam Hussein's Iraq than if you were to read every magazine and newspaper article about them from the past decade. And, although highly articulate and factual, it never becomes stale reading. How could it, when you read about his interview with Saddam himself and the utter hilarity which brought him there? As someone extremely picky about their reading, I highly recommend Roberts for your dose of intellectual airchair travel. Never have recipients of his books been disappointed by my gifts, no matter what their taste. Enjoy!

A Profound, Tragic, and Darkly Humorous Book

This is one of the best books I have ever read; it made me laugh out loud, it made me cry, and it gave me a far better understanding of the real situation still faced by Iraq. Dr Roberts is like a cross between PJ O'Rourke, John Bierman and Martin Amis, mixing bizarre first-person narrative with historical perspective in a way I found both highly entertaining and richly informative. By providing the background to the ongoing war against Iraq, Roberts forces us to see a bigger picture -- and it is not a pretty one. The reader's sympathies are ultimately with the poor Iraq people who have suffered so terribly at our hands and for no reason other than the crimes of a leader they loathe more -- it seems -- than we do. The vivid accounts of Gulf War action and the dreadful aftermath of the UN embargo rank among the greastest pieces of prose I can think of. I have since read some of this writer's other books and they are all just as good. I am surprised he is not better known.

PWR Does it Again

A savagely funny, bitingly realistic description of three visits to Iraq, before, during and after Desert Storm. Chilling in its detailed realism. Buy it! (or at least check it out at the library)

Ultra cynical gonzo journalism at it's finest

Earnest idealists and humorless conservatives will never get it. The book is screemingly funny, obviously written by a keen student of the tragiocomic human condition. Roberts does a fine job clubbing us over the head with the absurd realities of third world existance (and making us enjoy it), while never letting us forget the underlying human tragedy. Nothing's sacred here, not history, not his host's English skills, not the press corps, not 300 pound gay secret policeman, not George Bush, and certainly not Saddam Hussein. I particularly enjoyed Roberts' hilarious commentary on Saddam Hussein's official biography, his tripped out interview with the demonic dictator poster boy himself, and the bit where he dared the leader of Islamic Jihad to show him exactly, exactly mind you, where it says in the Koran that Israel must be destroyed. I also loved the eerily plausible conspiracy theory where George Bush orchestrated the invasion of Kuwait. On another level I cannot forget the harrowing descriptions of a clandestine trip into the heart of Bagdad in the midst of the Gulf War bombing. The book had me laughing and at the same time educated me a bit about the history of the region. I liked it immensly, but then I'm more cynical then your average third world dictator.

Excellent book

Excellent and very funny book, although parts of it are quite tragic.