Najem Wali
Author · 2 books
Najem Wali, born in Basra, Iraq, in 1956, is an Iraqi writer and journalist. He studied German at universities in Baghdad and Hamburg and Spanish literature in Madrid. In 1980, after the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War, he fled to Germany after refusing military service. Wali has published numerous novels and short stories in Arabic, many of which have appeared in German translation and other languages. His works include “Baghdad Marlboro,” “Baghdad: Memories of a World City,” and “Saras Stunde.” He received the 2014 Bruno Kreisky Prize for Political Literature for “Baghdad Marlboro.” Wali also worked as a cultural correspondent for the Arabic daily Al-Hayat and contributed to German-language newspapers and magazines.