A Pen of Damascus Steel: The Political Cartoons of an Arab Master [Hardcover]

Ali Farzat (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 2005

Ali Farzat is the dean of Arab political cartoonists. His caricatures do not spare wealth, influence, or power. They give hope to the disenfranchised, the poor, and the hungry. Farzat is an authentic Arab voice who nevertheless does not hesitate to buck the tide of majority opinion. (He has consistently disparaged Saddam Hussein, for example, and lauds the US for adopting his position that Saddam must go.) Farzat's work is a ringing cry for justice that cuts across all cultures.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Of all the ways a political cartoonist can get noticed, there isn't any higher honor than being banned. Farzat holds that distinction, having been barred from three countries because of his cartoons, as mentioned in a timeline in this new collection of the Syrian artist's work. The controversy Farzat garners becomes even stranger after one reads his work. Unlike American political cartoonists, Farzat eschews easy laughs and hard-line stances. The cartoons are much more artful, usually just giving the reader one potent but metaphorical image that can be interpreted in any number of ways. The first set of cartoons is inspired by 9/11, but there are no pictures of the World Trade Center or the Pentagon. Instead the first image is of a gun with a razor blade for a trigger and a severed finger tip. Farzat's approach means that some of his cartoons lack a sharp bite. The long section on politicians repeats broad messages of how the powerful are greedy and shady. When Farzat comments on society, his satire becomes more complex and interesting. His best work provides memorable images that are also obscure enough that it takes the reader's own mind, with his or her own views and prejudices, to complete it.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Cune (June 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885942389
• ISBN-13: 978-1885942388
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,913,969 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If Syria is trying to stop this book's distribution, it has to be good, August 10, 2007

By 

Mainstream tea maven (WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Pen of Damascus Steel: The Political Cartoons of an Arab Master (Hardcover)

This just in from MEMRI - Syria is trying to prevent this book's distribution. Check out Farzat's cartoons in the Kuwaiti paper Al-Watan

5.0 out of 5 stars A master of art and ideas, December 15, 2011

By 

M.B. (Ohio) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Pen of Damascus Steel (Paperback)

The book is wonderful. The publisher gives an entire page to each cartoon, which allows the reader to fully enjoy Ali Ferzat's art and ideas.

Ferzat is a master of the powerful cartoon. His work is like Quino's. The lines are easy to follow but the ideas are bold and universal. His cartoons speak quickly and powerfully about the disenfranchised, the poor, and the oppressed. Each cartoon represents hundreds of words that are unnecessary given his style. Because of his ideas, Ferzat was nearly beaten to death by Syrian security agents in August 2011.

5.0 out of 5 stars Cartoons political, September 30, 2011

By 

Hywellj - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Pen of Damascus Steel: The Political Cartoons of an Arab Master (Hardcover)

This is an amazing collection of cartoons written and drawn under the most extreme circumstances. The insight and empathy that is shown for fellow countrymen and women is astounding and only goes to show the deep intellect and understanding that makes up Ali Farzat. The cartoon under 9-11depicting a psitol with a razor blade as the trigger under which sits a cut off finger is exceptional.