Betool Khedairi's "Absent" Novel Adapted into a Play!
Today, I learned the incredible news that our dear and impressive Iraqi writer, Betool Khedairi’s remarkable second novel *Absent* is to be presented as a mono-dramatic play at the Barons Court Theater, London, on 4-5 November 2025! This is amazing because it may be the first time ever that an Iraqi novel, first published in 2004, has been adapted into a play in English and staged live in London.
I cannot over-emphasize the immense challenge - almost the near impossibility - of such a task, not only because of the complexity of the novel itself, but also because of its many characters whose lives and fates intertwine during the horrendous US-led sanctions against Iraq following the invasion of Kuwait in the 1990s. This remarkable achievement - writing a play that can be performed by a single actress for one continuous hour - was accomplished by Betool Khedairi in collaboration with playwright and translator Penny Black who worked extensively in the Arab World. The play will be directed by Svetlana Dimcovic, a well-known Serbian-born British theater director and producer with notable international experience.
I warmly congratulate Betool for her incredible energy and creativity, and I wish her play great success in London and, hopefully, elsewhere in the world.
Dr. Ihsan Fethi
16 Sep 2025