Kafka, Solzhenitsyn and Elie Wiesel. It is a vivid account of the wanton and brutal treatment of the Iraqi people by Saddam Hussein's feared secret police and of the arbitrariness of life under tyranny." The novel has applauded for highlighting positive aspects of Arab and Iraqi culture, including friendship, community, respect, generosity, and hospitality. Saddam City was also considered one of the best 56 novels in the world by the website Library Thing. According to the author, the original transcript of the novel included two additional chapters. These, however were censored from the novel by the Arab literature guild in Damascus, Syria. Because of this, he instead initially published it in a pen name, Mustafa Ali Nooman in 1981. The book was republished in Cairo, Egypt under his real name in 2006. Publications 1955 – Ominous Gun This short story won the Prize of Fata Al Iraq Newspaper (Iraqi Young). 1957 - Port Saeed and Other Stories. Short stories. Baghdad. There is a copy in the National Library in Baghdad 1963 - The Old Case. Novel. Published in Baghdad by the Iraqi Writers Union, but was destroyed a few days later when the coup changed the government. 1968 - Rhythm and obsession. Novel. The government prevented the novel from being published, but it was eventually published in Syria. Almada House Damascus. 1995. Mref></ref> 1970 - Rue Ben Baraka. Novel. It was banned in Iraq. It was published in Cairo in 1987 - , then in Dar Caramel Amman, Jordan in 1993. It was published again in Dar al-Carmel, Jordan in 1995, then in the House of Arts in Beirut, Lebanon in 1997. It won the Ministry of Information Award in 1994. 1981 – I am The One Who Saw. Novel. Syrian censorship deleted two chapters of it then refused to publish it. In 1995, it was published in Dar Al Mada, Syria. Written with the pen-name of Mustafa Ali Noman. 1996 - End of the Day. Novel. Club Story award. Cairo 1996. Published at Dar Al-Hayat. Beirut. 1997 – Birds of Love, and War. Short story collection. House Sina. Cairo.Mref></ref> 1997 - Rue Ben Barka. Novel. Written in 1970. Banned in Iraq and published fifteen years later in Egypt, Jordan, and Beirut. 1998 – Beautiful Death. Novel. Damascus. Dar Al Mada Syria. 1999 – "Courageous Woman." Children's short story. Won the Sheikha Fatima Award. 1999 – Before Love, After Love.