Letters
I am an avid reader of The Scribe. My parents,
Sabiha Abu Daoud (from the family Hakkak) and Anwar Jawaherry
(previously Mariam Khan), both came from Baghdad. They raised
me in "little Baghdad'' here in Melbourne and I have
come to feel very proud of my rich heritage. I appreciate
your efforts to keep our culture alive through your publication
and wish to thank you.
I used to work as an academic, but have left the workplace
in order to do what I've always wanted to do; and that is,
to write about the food and culture of Iraqi Jews through
the stories and recipes I've collected from my family.
My book is called FEASTS OF OLD BAGHDAD. It holds over 150
recipes and many wonderful stories to complement them. There
are also intriguing descriptions of daily life in Baghdad
as remembered by my parents.
I have done all paintings and illustrations for the book
myself, and last March held a wonderful art exhibition where
I used paintings to tell stories from the old world of Baghdad
Jewry and also offered samples of the food that are in the
book.
There was a great deal of media interest and the ABC await
the publication of my book.
You can see samples of my art work at www.hometown.aol.com/antjwry/index.html
Although MacMillan publishers said they wanted to publish
the book, they now have changed their minds. I think the
main problem is that they can't get their heads around Jews
and Iraq being linked. Publishers Hardie-Grant only wanted
to see one chapter and then said the subject is too narrow.
The response, I believe, is a result of ignorance and a
publishing house too busy to scratch its nose.
At the moment I have no means of publishing the book. May
I email you the first chapter? IF you like it, I could send
you the full copy. You may well be interested in publishing
it. It is a worthy record of a culture that has been too
long ignored. If it doesn't see the light of day, that record
will die in the dust.
Nita Tephaha Jawary
Nita Jawary
25 Crimea St North caulfield
VIC. 3161
Email: AntJwry@aol.com
Scribe:
We are unable to publish any books, but will agree to buy
100 copies if you find a publisher to print it.
If
you would like to make any comments or contribute to The
Scribe please contact
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