A high-ranking Syrian official in DC laughed when he heard I was reading Michel Aflaq and writing this … - Elliott Colla

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And if we want to achieve our goal, then let us empower ourselves with the weapon of knowledge and let us shield ourselves with unity and togetherness.

Elliott Colla

A high-ranking Syrian official in DC laughed when he heard I was reading Michel Aflaq and writing this book. He said, "Let me tell you something. There are no Baathists, no one believes this stuff, this is stuff you read in school because it's assigned to you. Maybe someone believed it, but no one really believes it. " And I thought that was really interesting to hear, because the ideology of Baathism was presented so often to Americans as the core of what's wrong.

Baathists, Believe, Book, Ideology, Reading, Syrian

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English is a forgiving language. It's not like Classical Arabic and it's not like French. You can speak broken English and be expressive and no one will hold it against you.

Against, Broken, Expressive, Forgiving, Language, Speak

Academic writing you have to get right. Fiction you have to get plausible. And there's a world of difference.

Difference, Differences, Fiction, Right, World, Writing

In translation studies we talk about domestication - translation styles that make something familiar - or estrangement - translation styles that make something radically different. I use a lot of both in my translation, and modernism does both. For instance, if you look at the way James Joyce presents Ulysses, is that domesticating a classic? Think of it as an experiment in relation to a well-known text in another language.

Classic, Different, Style, Think, Thinking, Way

There were illegal poets like Muzaffar al-Nawab, this is the thing - Muzaffar was widely known and he didn't really have books. He would deliver these readings on cassette tape. Go on YouTube and listen to him. He's like a preacher. He's a really interesting figure in modern Iraqi life.

Book, Interesting, Known, Preacher, Reading, Youtube

The truly astounding thing is the Baathist regime supports poetry like nobody else, probably in the world.

Astounding, Probably, Support, Supports, Thing, World