When the Iraqi author Hassan Blasim left his native Baghdad in 2000, the state of his country had exhausted him. "People say war is soldiers and bombs but it's more than that," he says. "In Iraq it's been a constant war with your neighbour, your dictator, your society, your religion. Trying to survive is like a nightmare. Perhaps that's why my stories turn out the way they do."
His latest translated short story collection, The Iraqi Christ, attempts to both make sense of and poke fun at Iraq's recent past. And Blasim is uniquely placed to chronicle what his English publishers call the "dark absurdities" of Iraq. He fled to the safer Kurdish city of Sulaymaniyah after attracting the wrong sort of attention for his anti-establishment documentaries, but even though he was among like-minded people, he found himself in danger for being Arab in Kurdistan.
So began a four-year, nomadic existence on the fringes of society in Iran, Turkey and Bulgaria. Ask him why it took so long to reach Finland (where he still lives today) to gain refugee status and the answer is simple. "I didn't have enough money to pay the mafia to smuggle me in," he laughs. "Writing short stories is not so lucrative."
Eight years later, Blasim is on the move again but for much more edifying reasons. After an excitable review of his first translated collection, The Madman of Freedom Square, referred to Blasim as "perhaps the best writer of Arabic fiction alive", interest snowballed. The Iraqi Christ is published next month, and when The National catches up with the ebullient 39-year-old author in Manchester, he's at the end of a UK-wide book tour to promote it.
"It's part two of Madman in a way," he explains. "I mean, you can't talk about violence, war and the last 40 years of Iraqi history in one short story collection. We are all familiar with the news stories about bombs in Iraq killing 50 people. But I found myself wanting to understand the people behind these numbers."
Whether Blasim is the best contemporary writer of Arabic fiction is a matter of interpretation but his writing has a uniquely explosive force. In fact, the language has got him in trouble: Blasim's work is banned in Jordan and censored in Lebanon, which, depending on his mood, is either a source of amusement ("people can read it online anyway") or exasperation.
"People die in the street because of some roadside bomb and yet all everyone talks about is this beautiful, sentimental, poetic Arab language that I'm supposedly destroying. But who is writing about what it's really like, about this nightmarish, unreal violence people are experiencing? So I really don't care if it's not literary in the traditional sense."
There were also concerns about his attitude towards religion in Madman. Even the title of this new collection implies a certain recklessness in Blasim's dealings with traditional belief systems. He raises an eyebrow at the suggestion.
"Look, anyone who reads my stories would immediately know I absolutely don't attack religion. Maybe I make a few jokes about it and some don't like that but people do talk this way in the street. It's completely normal in Iraq. And yet when it comes to publishing what people might actually say, suddenly it's not right."
The title story, The Iraqi Christ, is a rather beautiful tale about the sacrifice made by a Christian, Daniel, so that his mother might live. "You know, there are two million Christians in Iraq," Blasim smiles. "Of course what Daniel does in the end is sad but all Iraqis are like Daniel. We suffer. We give our lives. And I wonder whether the focus in Iraq is sometimes on the importance of religion rather than people."
Such concerns are part of the reason Blasim feels it's too soon to return to Iraq. Finland remains "a place of peace where I can talk about everything", and he certainly doesn't feel that the distance is a problem. "I hear the stories. I build in the fiction. I use my imagination," he says.
Beyond all the violence and torment, the belief in the power of storytelling shines through.
"I wouldn't say I have a big political message, actually," he says. "But think of it like this: when you put a camera in the street in London, not that many people are interested. When you do it in Baghdad, everybody wants to come and tell their story. Doing that is so important for a country that has been through what Iraq has had to suffer."
The Iraqi Christ is published March 14. Read stories in Arabic at www.hassanblasim.com
The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
THE BIO
Age: 33
Favourite quote: “If you’re going through hell, keep going” Winston Churchill
Favourite breed of dog: All of them. I can’t possibly pick a favourite.
Favourite place in the UAE: The Stray Dogs Centre in Umm Al Quwain. It sounds predictable, but it honestly is my favourite place to spend time. Surrounded by hundreds of dogs that love you - what could possibly be better than that?
Favourite colour: All the colours that dogs come in
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
PSA DUBAI WORLD SERIES FINALS LINE-UP
Men’s:
Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY)
Ali Farag (EGY)
Simon Rosner (GER)
Tarek Momen (EGY)
Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL)
Gregory Gaultier (FRA)
Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
Nick Matthew (ENG)
Women's:
Nour El Sherbini (EGY)
Raneem El Welily (EGY)
Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
Laura Massaro (ENG)
Joelle King (NZE)
Camille Serme (FRA)
Nouran Gohar (EGY)
Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
RESULTS
5pm: Rated Conditions (PA) Dh85,000 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner: AF Mouthirah, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: AF Alajaj, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Hawafez, Connor Beasley, Abubakar Daud
6.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Tair, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Wakeel W’Rsan, Richard Mullen, Jaci Wickham
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,400m
Winner: Son Of Normandy, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash
The specs: 2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
Price, base / as tested Dh222,500 / Dh296,870
Engine 2.0L, flat four-cylinder
Transmission Seven-speed PDK
Power 300hp @ 6,500rpm
Torque 380hp @ 1,950rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.9L / 100km
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