Tribute to Norman Mailer

Unlike other literary figures, Mailer was not prone to elite sensibilities in his private or public life. He was not a pragmatist nor an opportunist, nor was he politically… More

Tribute to Norman Mailer

There was the true Norman and the public Norman. I really only knew the true Norman—thank God—because there was a huge difference between the two. More

Tribute to Norman Mailer

I scarcely knew him as a man, but I knew the work made by the man. Reading him when I was twelve—memorizing the obscene lyrics in The Naked and… More

The Last Iraq

The Last IraqEach night I sit Iraq on my tableand pinch his earsuntil his eyes fill up with tearsof joy.Another cold winter, crisscrossed by jet fighters.Soldiers sit on a… More

History of My Face

My lips came with a caravan of slavesThat belonged to the Grand Sanussi.In Al-Jaghbub he freed them.They still live in the poor section of BenghaziNear the hospital where I… More

Non-Military Statements

Non-Military Statements1Yes, I did write in my letterthat I would wait for you forever.I didn't mean exactly "forever,"I just included it in the rhyme.2No, he was not among them.There… More