"Floodlines" Book Discussion with Author Saleem Haddad

Saleem Haddad discusses his novel, Floodlines, an intimate, sweeping story of a queer Iraqi family caught in the currents of history. At its center is Nizar, a war journalist in London who is drawn into reconstructing his family’s past after a cache of paintings by his Iraqi artist grandfather—long believed lost in Baghdad—unexpectedly resurfaces. The discovery sets off a struggle over inheritance, memory, and who has the right to tell a family’s story.

Moving across generations and between London and Baghdad, the novel explores how private lives become entangled with war, exile, and political upheaval. Art is both inheritance and battleground: the family’s arguments over the paintings open onto larger questions of cultural patrimony, nostalgia, and what gets preserved—or distorted—when people and artworks are displaced. At the same time, Nizar’s story gives the novel a deeply contemporary queer dimension, exploring love, sex, trauma, and the difficulty of intimacy after years spent witnessing violence.

Saleem is also the author of Guapa, winner of the Polari Prize, and is a wonderful speaker on queer literature, the Middle East, diaspora, and writing across cultures. He’s recently appeared on Jason Blitman’s Gays Reading podcast to discuss Floodlines and his reading life.

Saleem will read from his book, after which a Q&A and signing will take place.

Barzakh Café also offers a curated selection of small plates and drinks. Guests are encouraged to arrive early, ease into the evening, and enjoy something from the kitchen or bar before the program begins. Happy Hour All Year.