Nabeel's Song

In winter 1979 Nabeel Yasin, Iraq’s most celebrated young poet, fled his homeland with his wife and young son. His crime was publishing poetry that didn’t conform to values of Saddam Hussein’s Ba’ath Party. Branded an ‘Enemy of the State’, he faced certain death if stayed.
This is an epic family saga of exile and endurance, that takes us behind the headlines of modern Iraq, the story of an ordinary family living in extraordinary time.
‘Jo Tatchell’s moving narrative, from Nobeel’s mouth, tells of endurance, literary resistance and the courage of a loving, close-knil family oppressed by tyranny and war. Behind the deadly statistics and political rhetoris, voices such as his inspire us to pity and pride.’ The times
‘Utterly compelling… what emerges is a resilient family’s unconditional love for one another’ Scotland on Sunday
‘Extraordinary… The story of Nabeel Yasin is also that of his unfortunate country over the last half century.’ Daily Mail
Nominated for The Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards