They Came to Baghdad

Finished the second book on the list earlier this week. They Came to Baghdad (1951) is not a classic. It reminds me of an Enid Blyton book written for 'young gels'. It's difficult to relate to the protagonist, Victoria Jones, or Viccy as she is referred to by her pash, Edward. She's young, naughty, a bad shorthand-typist (I can relate to that), in 1930s terms, plucky and irreverent. But still of good stock since she's accepted wherever she goes in Iraq, including the British Consulate in Basrah. It's not a great read, but it is interesting from the perspective of my project. Ms Christie loved the Middle East and archeology and she must have relished writing the descriptions of Victoria's walking tour of Baghdad. It's one of the best parts of the book. After a strange kidnapping segment, our Viccy is rescued by an unlikely hero called Richard Baker. He's an archeologist and takes her to a Dig called Tell Aswad. I'm not sure if this is a real place, so will have to look it up on a map at some point. A small town called Mandali is nearby, if it isn't fiction.

Victoria finds the Dig to be a sanctuary from the undercover adventures she'd become involved with after making her way to Baghdad from London by devious means. Again, this description rings true and must reflect Ms Christie's own experiences while working with her husband, Max Mallowan. Written after WW2 and more than 10 years since she had spent those happy months in Syria and Iraq, I imagine that she would have been filled with nostalgia as she wrote those pages. Like Ms Christie, Victoria makes herself useful by developing photographs. I wonder who the book was written for, as she refers to Nazu pottery and the 'antika room'; terms which I don't know and would not expect the majority of readers to know either. Still, good fiction should educate too.

It's interesting to read the descriptions of Baghdad and Bashrah - places that were so different to the UK culture, but yet had their charms as described by Ms Christie. Now all we think about is war and violence. I would love to visit the places she refers to in the novel, but I would expect it is too dangerous just now.

Meanwhile, I've started Murder in Mesopotamia. This looks like a rich fund for my project as the story is set in an archeological dig. Hmmm.

One book down

How I wish I was a woman of independent means. Unfortunately, I'm a wage slave and work became more intense in the last few weeks, so my project took a back seat. Finally, we've reached the end of proper teaching. Next week is exam week and then piles of marking. In my case, marking e-portfolios which will be something new, but the novelty will be short-lived. At least I have more energy to make progress with the project.

I do still read, although barely three pages in bed before my eyelids bang shut. I've finished Death Comes As The End. I'm still puzzling about the 'as' when I would expect the word to be 'at'. Some point of grammar that is well beyond my memory I suspect. I can see why I've never heard of the book before. It's not riveting. A moody protagonist who is not well drawn. I think it would make a good spoof movie. It's a shame that Ms Christie was not able to illustrate her love for Egypt and archeology more successfully. So, as far as research for the project, this book can be binned. Thankfully.

Mystery solved

It wasn't much of a mystery in the end. Just sloppiness. I found the two books at home, in a carrier bag that I had taken from work to use for rubbish. I hadn't checked whether anything was in the bag and had hung it in the rubbish room. Fortunately, a housekeeper who lives nearby and whom I employ to feed my cats when I'm away had asked to buy the small wardrobe which was in the same room. She told me that she needed the wardrobe because "my saris are under the bed". Last weekend she wanted to take the wardrobe before her saris were ruined by the huge amounts of dust that accumulate in every house as we live in the desert, so I had to take everything out and do some sorting. There were the books. Storm in a teacup.

Currently reading 'Death Comes As The End' which I am not enjoying. A strange combination of Egyptian names from 4,000 years ago, with limited descriptions and dialogue from 1930s England. It doesn't work. It's not surprising that this book is not well-known. I'm about a quarter of the way through so maybe my views will change.

I need to get a copy of Agatha Christie's autobiography. Fairly essential reading for this project.

The case of the mysterious disappearance

It's as funny (in the wry sense rather than the uproarious) as it's irritating that I've lost those two books. On the same day that I blogged that I'd picked them up from the library, they disappeared. I have no idea where. I thought I'd slipped them into a carrier bag of free gifts from the Abu Dhabi police (as you do), but when I got home they weren't there. Now, if someone had stolen them, why wouldn't they have stolen the nifty electronic calendar device, or the lap writing bag (very useful for possible note-taking on trains if I ever make this journey to Syria). No, they didn't, so surely thieves must be ruled out (although there have been a number of thefts in the college in recent weeks - someone's exercise shorts went missing, for heaven's sake).

Perhaps I left them beside the computer that I used to write last week's blog. If I did, they're not there now. Perhaps someone took them by mistake. Maybe they fell out of the bag and slipped to the floor of my car. Well, I've searched and they're not there. I have no idea. It means that I'm already behind with my reading and I'll have to pay for replacements, yet still not have the books for myself. Where's Monsieur Poirot when you need him?

They Came to Baghdad

Well, this project isn't off to a very good start. I've had a visitor over from England and that's consumed my spare time, plus work has become particularly busy. All of this means that I haven't had much time to ponder and begin the process of planning the future research and ultimate expedition. I'm at the stage where my first wave of excitement has died down and the whole thing seems to be preposterous and, worse, probably already been done by someone with better writing skills.

In the meantime, I have borrowed two of Mrs Mallowan's novels which are connected with her love of the Middle East and archeology. 'They Came to Baghdad' was published in 1951 and 'Murder in Mesopotamia', which was published in 1936. Looking at those dates, there's some significance as the latter was published before her ventures to Syria and Chagar Bazar, while the former was published over a decade later. I haven't heard of either of these novels and shall read them from a different perspective, not just whodunnit. It's a start.

Agatha Christie & Archeology

I'm really excited about this project. It ticks several boxes for me, so I hope that I can make something happen. It might take a few years to actually make the journey, because I'll need time to raise enough money to pay for the trip, plus be without work for a few months and yet still pay the bills at home. At least while I'm working in the Emirates I can save money.

I'm going to enjoy the research part of this. Someone told me that my penchant for finding out about things is because I like puzzles. It seems fitting to start this venture as an investigator, given that Mrs Mallowan is famous for her detective stories.

As I'm desk bound for now, I'm going to use the internet for the initial investigations. It's a wonderful tool and I wonder how on earth I managed without it in the past. This morning I've discovered that there is a whole department in the British Museum named 'Agatha Christie and Archeology'. Henrietta McCall is special curator for the department, and a member of the department of the Ancient Near East. She is the author of The Life of Max Mallowan (2001), and Mesopotamian Myths (1990). So, now to track down her books.

Come tell me how you live

I'm re-reading Come Tell Me How You Live written by Agatha Christie. It's an account of her travels to Syria in the 1930s with her husband, archeologist Max Mallowan. As I read her recollections of her life in the desert it occurred to me that what she had written was an early form of blogging. Her descriptions of the Arab men and women with whom she has daily contact particularly resonates for me, as I am a British expatriate working in Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates. Her love for her husband, history and the simple life of the desert exudes from every page. It's interesting to note her affectionate observations written during a period when servants and British superiority were not challenged and the phrase'politically correct' had not entered the British psyche.

During Eid Al Adha last November I took a tour of Jordan and Syria. I missed Palmyra because we didn't have time. I had already decided that I would like to go back to Syria and take a trip, solo but with a guide, from Damascus to Palmyra. Now I'm thinking bigger. I would like to retrace the journey described in Christie's book. Along the way, I could blog my own experiences and explore the changes that have occurred in the last 60-70 years. My first step is to research her life at that time and investigate the world background that will have influenced her writing. This blog entry is my first step.