The use of the artist does not necessarily reflect the playwrights themselves; it may be further used to talk about social, economic, and political situations. It has acquired deep significance as it is used as a veneer to criticise the political ruling party throughout its history.
This book represents a significant contribution to the literature in general and that of theatre and performance in particular by using a tranche of previously unused primary source material to examine the use of the artist and the key role he/she has played in those three decades. Its findings are heavily based on new primary sources, including interviews with the three playwrights themselves. Its unique selling points are therefore that it will be the only book to have examined three playwrights over three decades with reference to some more recent artists from the Middle East, especially Iraqi.
The book’s primary audience will be academics, particularly students of English literature, history, and performance studies. It will prove a useful secondary text across undergraduate and postgraduate courses on the politics of text analysis, which are offered by most US, British, Australian, and Middle Eastern universities, and which continue to attract large numbers of students.
