criticized throughout the book for its treatment of women. The Washington Post reviewer wrote, tongue in cheek, of the fictional country of Wasabia : "Its oppressive power is guaranteed by optimum connections to the American establishment greased by a suave prince as its longtime ambassador in Washington. Wasabia's medieval legal system, among other things, subjugates, humiliates and violates women, as well as executing them for such vices as flirting. Of course this is a wholly fictional land, too absurd to resemble any in the real family of nations." The firm "the Waldorf Group" is a reference to the Carlyle Group. The novel was among the first to lampoon terrorism and Islamist extremism, which in the post-9/11 era were not considered laughing matters. The book also portrays U.S. foreign policy as contributing to those problems. Publication The story was first published in two long excerpts in the September and October issues of The Atlantic Monthly. The book was published in hardcover on September 14, 2004. The title of the novel is a play on "Lawrence of Arabia", a popular name for the British Army officer T. E. Lawrence, who became famous for his exploits in the Middle East, particularly as a liaison during the Arab Revolt of 1916–1918. Buckley finished writing the novel on May 19, 2004, the anniversary of Lawrence's death. The pun "Florence of Arabia" was first coined by Noël Coward, who told the actor Peter O'Toole (who played Lawrence in the film Lawrence of Arabia) that "If you'd been any prettier, it would have been Florence of Arabia." The novel is an homage to Fern Holland, whom Buckley describes as a "real-life Florence of Arabia." Holland was a 33-year-old lawyer who went to work for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq. On March 9, 2004, Holland was murdered for her work involving women's rights. Holland, Robert J. Zangas (another U.S. aid worker) and Salwa Oumashi, were the first civilians working for the occupation authority to be killed. Film adaptation Variety announced on July 28, 2009, that Charlize Theron would produce and star as Florence in a film adaptation of the book. Dean Craig is slated to write the script. Footnotes External links First installment in The Atlantic Monthly Second installment in The Atlantic Monthly 2004 American novels American satirical novels Novels by Christopher Buckley