In the second part of my lengthy conversation with the poet Brian Turner we begin by discussing language - in particular pejorative terms like 'Haji'. Turner moves from this, through coining 'otherise', to recall his own experiences in Iraq.
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Our major themes include:
- what it was like to follow the 'Invasion Troops'
- the effect of Abu Ghraib on the Iraqi people
- Turner's own relationship with the Iraqi people
- life under the threat of roadside bombs
- Donald Rumsfeld and the narrative of 'body counts'
- raids and prisons
- the guilt of putting innocent people in prison
- hypermasculinity and writing about women
- the military and Turner's family history
- Turner's homemade war movies
- the allure of warfare - adrenalin, meaning and moment
- war, beauty and destruction in Mosul
- death and the end of the world
Runtime: 24.39.
