The novel “Minus Five” by the novelist Shaheed is an attempt to activate the awareness of the middle class..meaning that what he wanted to dismantle in this novel is the awareness of this class.. There is a fact that must be recognized, which is that the middle class to which we claim to belong is in a stage of complete impotence At the present time, in the novel “Minus Five,” the novelist drew a theoretical role for what this class could do, and he wanted to remind those who claim to belong to it that there is some “possibility” that is still available and that every change on all levels cannot be achieved. Except through a very important “existential practice”, which is “reproduction of consciousness”, and this practice is the prerogative of the middle class. Are there any arguments that imposed themselves in the novel “Minus Five”, or does the middle class have different concerns from the point of view of the novelist Shaheed?..
{Your novel is not for the reader’s entertainment, and the novelist often deals with social, political and other problems. What do you think?
It is certain that the functional dimension of the novel can be determined by more than one direction. In addition to the element of enjoyment, which is considered one of the important elements in the success of the novel, attention must be paid to another aspect related to what the writer wants to say and communicate to the reader through his novel. Every novel has a message and every writer has it. Intentionality, its data appears as a final outcome in the awareness of the recipient after he completes reading the text. Each writer must have his own project. For me, my writing project is related to values. Through my novels, I try to contribute to changing the awareness of the recipient by producing value concepts that are opposite to the value concepts that govern consciousness. In general, the novel for me is a project to create awareness, so it has been said that my novels contain a lot of ideas and little narration.
{The emotional story of the politician occupies an important place in the narrative. Where are you from the romance associated with the political novel? What do you think of that?
– I have to admit that my novels are far from the romantic side, despite the beauty of that subject, but I did not open a door for it in the walls of my narrative production, perhaps we are still preoccupied with our most pressing existential concerns.
{“Minus Five” and supporting the character that forms arguments in a reality that I wanted him to reveal. Do I consider this a fictional plotting through which you hide? And when does the novelist, a martyr, resort to the hidden pole?
– In my opinion, the novel does not represent an aspect of disguise for the writer, but rather it is one of the existential practices that “manifest” his personality so that a reading of the writer’s personality can be developed by deconstructing his narrative output. For me, my novels represent a large part of my conceptual system, and through them I seek to communicate my own ideas and concepts, which I believe will contribute to creating a new awareness, and therefore my writing will have a role in changing reality, and I consider that I reveal myself through writing as an existential element that aspires to occupy space. in this vast knowledge space.
{In your novel, you presented hidden maneuvers for a future in which you will repeat the present that you tried to treat, albeit utopian, but within the politically scrambled narrative significance. Do you want this novel of yours to be born with the new generations, which generation is 2035?
– First, I want to point out that everything I wrote is nothing but a kind of existential maneuvering. In light of this reality in which we live, the individual who chooses the side of resistance has no choice but to follow maneuvering behaviors, including writing.. Through “minus five” I wanted to resist a class that bears everything. The dictionary includes bad vocabulary… In the novel, I presented a proposal for a hypothetical reality that might be considered a dilemma not only for the political class, but for the people as well.. The change that we dream of cannot be included in the circle of verification according to the conditions that must be implemented by the political class only, but rather it must be accomplished. What is related to the most active party in the equation, which is the people… The condition related to the people and presented in “minus five” was very sensitive because it requires practices that rely on transcending the prevailing consciousness and moving to another, more developed consciousness…
{Why are modern Arabic novels absent from drama when Iraq has many important novels?
With regard to the absence of the Iraqi novel from the drama, it must be noted first that the operational movement of dramatic production in Iraq is very slow and does not keep pace with what exists in the world. visual material.
{If you were presented with Iraqi novels, what titles would you choose? Which Arab writers keep their writings?
– For me, at the beginning of the formation of narrative awareness, I tried to read as much as possible of narrative models and experiences, so I read to most Iraqi and Arab novelists and story writers, so the list of names was very long, and everyone I read benefited from their writing experiences.
{Who is the novelist Shahid?
– Introducing oneself is the most difficult dilemma a person faces.. Some time ago, I was able to put a personal card for myself and dared to publish it. It was as follows:
Name: Martyr only.. in solidarity with foundlings..
Births: I do not know the day on which I was born, and this is fortunate for me.. It is also fortunate for me that my family chose the date 1/1 for me, which is the same day on which the Prophet was born, who cried out before his death: My God… My God… Why did you abandon me?.. .
Religion: Ten years before I was half a century old, I realized that I was an infidel in every religion whose god incites killing…
Occupation: Farmer in the garden of values…
Marital status: I am not married, but I have given birth to four fools..
Country of residence: Any country where the power is cut off is my country…
Hobby: playing with adults…
Favorite food: When I’m hungry my answer will be more accurate…
Wishes: I will arrange my wishes in ascending order:
I wish I could go back to my childhood, to rearrange my dreams again.
I wish my son would raise me.
– I wish I could go out into the street and find the owners of the big pictures have uploaded their frightening pictures and replaced them with a word of apology…
I wish that my country’s name would be changed…to have a female name…
I hope I don’t reach the point of old age..
I hope to die on a rainy day…
– After my death, I hope that I will not be buried in a sectarian cemetery.
