Podcast Summary: New Books Network

Episode: Saleem Haddad, "Floodlines" (Europa, 2026)
Host: Tirul Mende
Date: February 27, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode features a wide-ranging conversation between host Tirul Mende and novelist Saleem Haddad about his newest novel, Floodlines, published by Europa Editions. The discussion explores Haddad’s inspiration and research process, the novel’s themes of art, memory, and family set against the backdrop of Iraq and its turbulent history, and broader philosophical and creative questions about writing, language, and narrative form.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Launching Floodlines: Reflections and Reception

• Haddad describes the long gestation of the novel, having begun conceptualizing it in 2014.
• The process included moments of self-doubt and periods when he put the manuscript aside.
• Now that the novel is published, he’s eager to learn from readers’ interpretations.
  • Quote: “I feel like this part of the process is also very interesting because the readers teach you a lot about the novel. And so I'm excited to start that learning process as well.” (01:36, Haddad)

2. The Significance of the Title "Floodlines"

• The title emerged late in the writing process, centering on water and flood metaphors.
• Water is both central to the family’s artistic obsessions and a metaphor for memory and personal history.
• One character, Ishtar, builds a Mesopotamian ark, linking the story to the region's ancient flood mythology.
  • Quote: “The memories that the different characters were grappling with... would rise up like a flood.” (04:01, Haddad)
  • Quote: “Floodlines... is sort of the line demarcating where a flood has happened. And I found it very apt because I think all of the characters, in different ways, are battling with what the past has left behind.” (04:46, Haddad)

3. Setting and Temporal Choices

• The novel begins in the summer of 2014, as ISIS rises and the Arab Spring falters.
• This moment, Haddad explains, was a period of political and personal grief, a “moment of rupture” for both the region and the family in the novel.
  • Quote: “It was a moment of rupture for me... [and] felt appropriate for this family to start off at this point of rupture and to see how all of these sort of big political changes impacted not just them personally, but also the dynamics within the family.” (06:26, Haddad)

4. Contrasts with Prior Work: From Guapa to Floodlines

• Guapa was set in an unnamed, composite city and focused largely on one character, while Floodlines follows multiple family members.
• Haddad wanted to set this book in a real country (Iraq), delving into its art, mythology, and history, rather than rely on Western media tropes.
  • Quote: “There was a desire to move beyond the headlines of what we know about Iraq... [to] bring to the surface what I knew and loved about Iraq: Iraqi history, Iraqi culture, Iraqi stories and art.” (09:47, Haddad)

5. Researching Iraqi Art and Heritage

• Haddad’s research was extensive, combining family interviews, conversations with Iraqi artists and art movement scholars, and discussions with archaeologists and experts in Mesopotamian mythology.
• Real art movements and figures (e.g., the Baghdad Modern Art Group) serve as source material for the family’s story.
  • Quote: “I spoke to experts on Iraqi art, specifically, like academics who had studied the Iraqi art movements of the 20th century... specifically interested in the Baghdad Modern Art group, which my great uncle Jawad Salim founded.” (11:12, Haddad)

6. The James Baldwin Epigraph and Thematic Resonance

• The novel opens with the Baldwin quote: “People are trapped in history, and history is trapped in them.”
• Baldwin is a personal inspiration for Haddad, and the quote captures the “central conflict in the novel”—characters’ entrapment in both historical events and their personal memories.
• The book explores the limits and complexities of agency under political and historical pressures.
  • Quote: “One thing that I was kind of interested [in]... is to kind of explore the complexities of agency, of personal agency in things like political dictatorships in imperial wars, the limits of what one person can do… but also ways that they might be complicit...” (12:50, Haddad)

7. Crafting Complex Characters and Story

• For Floodlines, character creation was inspired by real artworks; art became the springboard for personality and backstory.
• Haddad sought not to fictionalize his own family directly, instead letting real art pieces spark new characters.
• The importance of “petty and administrative” family arguments as symbolic of deeper historical and cultural rifts.
  • Quote: “I worked with real life art and then tried to divorce the artist from the creative product and figure out how they would fit into this family.” (16:07, Haddad)
  • References to real-life inspirations: Jawad Salim (Nasb Al Hur/Monument of Freedom), Lorna Salim (Baghdadi architecture), Rashchar Sadim (Safina Project), Ghayth Abdul Ahad (journalist/artist).

8. Writing in English: Language and Identity

• Most characters are British-Iraqis who speak English, so Haddad primarily wrote in English.
• Occasionally, he paused to imagine dialogue in Arabic to ensure authenticity.
  • Quote: “I'm bilingual, so I… move back and forth between these languages on who I speak to. And so that's kind of what I wanted to mirror as well in this novel.” (18:49, Haddad)

9. The Challenge of Publishing and Literary Expectations

• Haddad shares the difficulties of finding publishers willing to embrace Floodlines, just as with Guapa.
• Western publishers often want stories to fit familiar narratives, especially regarding Iraq (e.g., starting or ending with the US invasion).
• Europa Editions, his UK publisher for Guapa, was willing to trust his vision.
  • Quote: “I really did not want that to happen. I didn't want to center that [US invasion] narrative at all. I wanted to show that Iraq existed long before 2003 and long after 2003.” (20:11, Haddad)

10. Advice for Aspiring Writers [(21:47)]

• Read extensively and “learn to read like a writer”—study the craft behind novels.
• Write regularly, accept the long marathon of book-writing, and listen to your subconscious voice.
• Embrace complexity in your writing and never underestimate the intelligence of your reader.
  • Quote: “One thing that has really benefited me is I try as much as possible to listen to the subconscious voice in my mind or in my heart when I'm writing, rather than to logically find answers...” (22:44, Haddad)
  • Quote: “Embrace the complexity of your writing rather than try and dumb it down... Honor the reader and always think they're smarter than you.” (23:34, Haddad)

11. The Novel as a Literary Form

• For Haddad, novels are his favorite form because of their mammoth scope and capacity for weaving complex themes, history, and character.
  • Quote: “I think it's, you know, I'm a person of ideas, and I feel like the novel is the form of ideas... is this massive vessel that can be sort of the depository of so many different ideas and themes and characters.” (24:40, Haddad)

Memorable Quotes

• “Floodlines... is sort of the line demarcating where a flood has happened... all of the characters, in different ways, are battling with what the past has left behind.” (04:46, Haddad)
• “People are trapped in history, and history is trapped in them.” (James Baldwin, quoted at 12:07)
• “Embrace the complexity of your writing rather than try and dumb it down... Honor the reader and always think they're smarter than you.” (23:34, Haddad)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:36] Reflections on release and reception of Floodlines
• [02:51 – 05:04] Thematic importance of the title "Floodlines"
• [05:31 – 06:56] Political context and starting point in 2014
• [07:29 – 10:14] Differences from Guapa and shift to real-life Iraq
• [10:49 – 11:43] Art and research process
• [11:57 – 13:22] The Baldwin quote and thematic resonance
• [13:47 – 17:43] Building characters from art
• [18:11 – 19:08] Language, bilingualism, and dialogue
• [19:27 – 21:25] Publishing process and relation with Europa Editions
• [21:47 – 23:52] Advice for young authors
• [24:12 – 25:27] Preference for the novel form

Tone and Language

Throughout the conversation, both Mende and Haddad maintain a thoughtful and reflective tone. Haddad's language is analytical, personal, and evocative—mirroring the literary and introspective qualities of his work.

Closing Note

Floodlines is available from Europa Editions. The episode offers intimate insight into the making of a novel that defies conventional narratives, foregrounding art, memory, and the resilience of family against historical upheaval.