Selim Matar

Selim Matar was born in Baghdad in 1956 as the fourth of eight children to parents Matar and Wabria. Originally from Amarah in the southern Maysa governorate, his parents had moved to the capital before his birth and opened a bistro next to the Directorate of General Security, where the young Selim often worked after school. While delivering food and drinks in the Directorate, he would occasionally witness scenes of torture. and enrolled in the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, specializing in Social Sciences and research in the Third World. Matar currently lives in Geneva with his wife Marguerite, a professor of Arabic at the University of Geneva. Their son Bassim, born in 1990, works as an IT specialist in Morges. ==Theories on nationalism and the "identity of the Iraqi nation" ==

In Switzerland, Matar distanced himself from communism for its internationalist and economic viewpoint, which he considers to be in conflict with national identity and the importance of culture, as well as its basis in materialism, which conflicts with his view of spirituality. In his biography, he recounts how the Communist Party "only ever taught me to criticize and despise [Iraq's] traditions, its heritage and its history, and to revolt against the State and society (...) In all the cultural meetings of the party that I attended, in the numerous books and documents that I studied, never was Iraqi history and civilization mentioned, nor its people, its towns and villages, its ethnic or confessional groups… Everything we were taught about our country was limited to the struggle of the Communist Party, the struggle of the proletarians, the peasant revolts, and the Kurdish cause." From this foundation, Matar began to fixate on the concept of national identity, in particular the identity of Iraqis in exile. A central focus of his body of work, beginning with The Woman of The Flask, has been the "identity of the Iraqi nation", which developed into a cultural movement of the same name. The movement's genesis proper can be traced to the publication of The Wounded Self in 1996, a treatise on the crisis of national identity in the face of conflict and exile. Matar's adherence to pacifism, belief in national unity and opposition to ethnic and religious sectarianism has been the source of controversy inside and outside of Iraq. ==Selected bibliography==

Matar is the author of several treatises, essays, novels and short stories, which he has made available free of charge. Principal works • Imra’at al-Qârûra (1990; English translation: The Woman of the Flask) 1990 Recipient of the "Al-Naqed" Prize for best Arabic novel. • Al-Dhât al-djarîha (1996; English translation: Wounded Identity/The Wounded Self) . • I’tirâfât radjulin lâ yastahyî (2008; English translation: The Confessions of a Man without Shame) Partially adapted into a play in 2010. • Al-munazammât al-sirriyah (2001; English translation: The Secret Societies) • ''Al-Irâq, saba’tu alâf 'âm min al-hayât'' (2013; English translation: 7000 Years of Living History) • ''La Planète de l'extase'' (2022; English translation: The Planet of Ecstasy) Other works • Al-taw’am al-mafqûd (2000; English translation: The Lost Twin) • Djadal a-huwiyyât (2003; English translation: The Debate of Identities) • Al-Irâq al-djadîd wa-l-fikr al-djadîd (2001; English translation: The New Iraq and the New Thought) • Bagdad – Genève: A la recherche d’une patrie (2011; English translation: Baghdad – Geneva: In search of a homeland) • ''Mashrû' al-ihyâh al-watanî al-'irâqî'' (2012; English translation: The Project of the Rebirth of the Iraqi Nation) Selected editions of Mesopotamia (Journal) In 2004, Matar published the first issue of the journal Mesopotamia, focusing primarily on Iraqi culture and history. Since its founding, he has also served as editor-in-chief. ''1. Khamsat alâf 'âm min al-unûtha al-'irâqiyyah'' (2004; English translation: 5000 Years of Iraqi Femininity) Detailing the history of Iraqi women from ancient times to the modern day. 2. Mawsû’ah al-madâ’in al’irâqiyyah (2005; English translation: Encyclopedia of Iraqi Cities) Laying out the geography and history of Iraqi provinces and their principal cities. 3. ''Khamsat alâf 'âm min al-tadayyun al-'irâqî'' (2006; English translation: 5000 Years of Iraqi Religiosity) Detailing the history of the different religions and confessions of Iraq. 4. ''Mawsû’at Kirkuk qalb al-'Irâq'' (2008; English translation: Encyclopedia of Kirkûk, the Heart of Iraq) Dedicated to the history and geography of the Kirkuk Governorate, as well as its demographics and culture. 5. ''Mawsû’at al-lughât al-'irâqiyyah'' (2008; English translation: Encyclopedia of Iraqi Languages) An encyclopedia of the languages spoken in Iraq throughout the centuries, living and dead, as well as the cultures of its linguistic communities. 6. ''Mawsû’at al-bî’ah al-'irâqiyyah'' (2010; English translation: Encyclopedia of the Iraqi Environment) Detailing the geology and nature of Iraq, as well as the ecological challenges caused by industry, conflict, and pollution. ==See also==