The Things I've Seen: Nine Lives of a Foreign Correspondent

by Lara Marlowe

Overview

Lara Marlowe, the Washington correspondent of The Irish Times, has witnessed more than her share of history in three decades as a foreign correspondent. She has reported with clarity and fearlessness on the main conflicts of our era, from the civil war in Lebanon to the break-up of Yugoslavia, the US invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq and the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She has been outspoken in her criticism of the often cruel and misguided actions of the world's leading powers, and invariably seeks out the views of civilians caught up in wars that are not of their making. The human cost of conflict and the absurdity of war come through her work, time and again. In this stunning and moving collection, Lara Marlowe has chosen her finest pieces of writing from her years as a foreign correspondent in some of the world's most troubled countries - notably Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Iraq and Haiti - as well as the power centers of Paris and Washington. She brings her keen insight to bear on some intractable problems, and shares with the reader the terror of living in a war zone. There are lighter moments too: a wonderful house-warming party in Beirut during a lull in artillery bombardments; meetings with talented celebrities, including Carla Bruni, Isabelle Adjani and Marcel Marceau; the simple delight of the companionship of cats. This is a superb collection from a writer at the height of her powers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781909718098
Publisher:	Liberties Press
Publication date:	04/15/2013
Sold by:	Bookwire
Format:	eBook
Pages:	350
File size:	944 KB

About the Author

LARA MARLOWE was born in California and studied French at UCLA before studying international relations in Oxford and the Sorbonne. She worked previously for Time magazine as their Beirut correspondent, and has been a guest for many other broadcast and print media. For her work as a journalist she was made Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur, one of the highest honors the French government can bestow. Away from work she spends time in Dublin and in Paris, whenever she can get there.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 11

Preface: A Life in Journalism 13

I France

Douce France

City of My Life, 14 July 2001 and 2 August 2004 21

A Last Farewell, 19 April 2010 27

La France de Sarkozy

Nicolas Sarkozy's Victoire Extraordinaire, 7 May 2007 30

Europe Gets Set for the Sarkozy Treatment, 8 July 2008 34

Why Obama and Sarkozy Can Never Truly Be Friends, 3 April 2010 38

Mes Français

13 January 2001 Isabelle Adjani 41

27 January 2001 Marcel Marceau 48

30 November 2002 Jeanne Moreau 54

21 May 2005 Michel Déon 60

29 November 2008 Carla Bruni 64

11 December 1999 and 10 May 2008 Sophie Toscan du Plantier 70

History Is Ever With Us

Has the French Revolution Ever Ended?, 14 July 2009 81

II Lebanon & Algeria

Lebanon

Going West in Beirut, 9 January 1988 87

A Civilisation in Ruins, 24 June 1989 93

'Normal Life' in Beirut, 5 August 1989 97

Poems for Lara: One of Beirut's Innocents, 21 July 1990 101

The Qana Massacre, 29 April 1996 105

Algeria

Dying to Go to School, 28 June 1997 107

Massacre at Bentalha, 21 October 1997 112

Killed for a Column, 2 May 1998 115

Lebanon

'I trust you, Lara. Don't betray me', 15 February 2005 120

Merci, Cheikh Rafiq, 5 April 2005 123

Search for Bodies Ends in Failure, 2 August 2006 125

'I am very happy, because we are winning', 4 August 2006 128

Fear, Blood, Rubble, Sorrow, 12 August 2006 131

III Yugoslavia

Sarajevo Waits for Winter, 12 October 1992 139

Stealth Fighter Crashes into a Time Warp, 29 March 1999 143

Kosovo Refugees Die Under NATO Bombs as the Serbs Expel Them, 17 April 1999 147

NATO Bombs Television Station, 24 April 1999 151

Arkan: A Symbol of All That Was Wrong with Yugoslavia, 17 January 2000 154

IV Iran

Real Bodies, Unreal Words, 14 July 1988 159

Chador Gives Way as Attitudes Soften in Iran, 23 February 2000 162

Iran's Lost Generation, 26 February 2000 165

Awaiting Mehdi and the End of the World, 20 April 2006 171

V Afghanistan

US Dollar Smooths Rugged Way Over the Old Silk Road, 3 October 2001 177

Into Afghanistan's Heart, 13 October 2001 180

Smoking Hash While the US Bombs Fall, 17 October 2001 185

No Peace While There Are Foreign Hands, 27 October 2001 188

Trapped in a War That Every Afghan Dreams of Escaping, 31 October 2001 191

VI Iraq

Clear Memories of Dark Days, 15 March 2008 197

Baghdad Under the Bombs, 2 April 2003 202

'Yours, guiltily', 8 April 2003 206

On the Last Day of Saddam's Misrule, 10 April 2003 210

Surreal Scenes as Marines Have Their Big Day, 10 April 2003 214

Saddam's Regime is Toppled, 10 April 2003 218

Distressed Iraqis Exhume Their War Dead, 23 April 2003 221

Unspeakable Savagery on the Streets of Baghdad, 10 October 2003 223

The Ghastly Results of a 'Licence to Kill', 8 April 2004 227

When the Danger for Journalists is Omnipresent, 20 October 2005 230

Saddam Shows Old Power as he Defies Judges, 20 October 2005 234

Misery of Life Beyond the Green Zone, 22 October 2005 237

Kill the Dictator, 1 January 2007 242

Old Grievances, 20 May 2008 245

VII Israel & Palestine

'We are living in cages', 4 April 2000 249

France Puts on Ceremony Worthy of a Head of State, 12 November 2004 254

Massacre in Munich, 21 January 2006 256

Palestinians Being Punished for Choosing Hamas, 8 April 2006 262

Israel's Calling Card, 23 January 2009 265

Inside the World's Biggest Prison, 24 January 2009 267

'We hope our sacrifice will be the last...', 31 January 2009 272

US and EU Must Impose Solution to Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, 3 February 2009 276

VIII The United States

America's Irrational Streak Runs Deep, 18 September 2004 281

Old Interview Gives New Insights into America's First Couple, 12 January 2009 286

Following in Lincoln's Footsteps, 21 January 2009 289

Edward Kennedy, 'the kind and tender hero', is Laid to Rest, 31 August 2009 293

Homeless on the Capitol's Doorstep, 21 November 2009 295

When Reality of Afghan War Strikes Home, 1 December 2009 300

US Just Doesn't 'Get It' about Motivation for Suicide Attacks, 13 January 2010 303

First the Storm, Now the Spill, 8 May 2010 306

Rogue Sheriff Investigated, 11 June 2010 311

IX Haiti

'We dug for five hours...we no longer heard him', 16 January 2010 317

The Agony of Faimi Lamy, 19 January 2010 319

The Salvation of Faimi Lamy, 6 July 2010 322

Aftershock, 21 January 2010 325

Catholicism and Voodoo: Rival Faiths, 26 January 2010 327

Whims of the West Will Shape Future for Haiti, 28 January 2010 330

Epilogue: Furry Friends

Walter the Beirut Puss, 7 June 2000 335

An Irish Cat in Paris, 11 July 2001 338

Paris-Washington, 8 September 2009 340

In Praise of Cats, 22 June 2010 343

Index 346

Editorial Reviews

Most of the "nine lives" represented by Marlowe's collected journalistic writings are war-torn regions, adding up to "some fifteen conflicts. Depending how you counted." Marlowe has "loved this profession as one loves a place or a person...Journalism," she realizes, "has given me a far more pungent taste for life than any ivory tower." Though her writing is not especially original or nuanced—profiles of celebrities are dull; a closing section on cats is sorely out of place—it is breathtaking when she examines the chaos and outrage of war, volleying snippets of imagery that have amazing power. These sections won't sit well with those who don't want to see the truth behind the "war is hell" façade. Marlowe provides insight into world affairs from a European, not an American, perspective; as may be expected from a foreign correspondent, she saves her harshest words for America, and Americans, and many U.S. readers won't want to read, say, her sneering recap of the 2004 presidential election. This reveals a major flaw of her book—not of perspective, but timing: too often, her pieces are old news. Still, Marlowe has a strong ability to get to the story, and for that reason alone her book is worth a read. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly