The Washington Post reports that Baghdad has long been "a city known for its love affair with books." In the words of the well known Arabic proverb "Cairo writes. Beirut publishes. And Baghdad reads." Sadly, this is no longer the case - Mutanabi Street, the center of bookselling in Baghdad, is "a shadow of its revered past." "Many of the original booksellers have been forced to shut down. Others have been arrested, kidnapped or killed, or fled Iraq. "We are walking with our coffins in our hands," said Mohammad al-Hayawi, the owner of the Renaissance book store, one of the street's oldest shops. "Nothing in Iraq is guaranteed anymore."

From BookBrowse Highlights: Oct.2006 - newsletter@bookbrowse.com