New 'Elvis is Titanic' memoir drowns reader in repetition

09/27/07 - "Elvis is Titanic" is the memoir of a young academic who traveled to Iraqi Kurdistan early in 2005 with the risky aim of teaching intercultural understanding through American history.Allowed to teach his chosen subject at Salahaddin University in Arbil on the condition that he also teach courses in English, Ian Klaus tackles with enthusiasm the challenge of instructing young men and women raised under a hostile and oppressive regime.

While it is important to note that the Kurds differ from the general Iraqi population in their relative support of the American occupation, the author, nevertheless, could be expected to have little in common with his students.

It is this clash of cultures that Klaus counts on to generate interest in his book; and, in some instances, he is successful. The numerous classroom anecdotes are genuinely interesting as illustrations of the cultural divide between America and the country it has "liberated."

Further, Klaus is capable of writing with wit and style when he is drawing on firsthand experience. Unfortunately, however, much of the book seems to be less a product of actual experience than of scholarly theorizing.

Klaus frequently cites earlier observers of the Middle East and often quotes directly and at length from historical and literary figures.

This reliance on the ideas and observations of others lends Klaus' memoir the scholarly air of an elaborate essay.

To add to his flaws, Klaus is prone to repetition when describing students and others with whom he comes in contact. Yet another small failing is his irritating habit of name- dropping, several pages for instance which amount to, "By the way, did I mention that I'm dating Bill Clinton's daughter?"

In addition to the weaknesses of the main body of the book, much of the first part is given over to a summary and interpretation of Iraqi politics and the economics of the local oil trade, which, to those who have kept abreast of current events, will seem unnecessary.

To those who have not stayed informed, it is both insufficient and wholly unreadable. These first few chapters may act as a barrier to the casual reader and are likely to discourage all but the most dedicated.

That is not to say that the book is all bad. The persevering reader will be rewarded with startling, if rare, moments of humor and insight.

In order to explain how his students tick, Klaus describes and analyzes specific classroom exchanges. The title itself, a declaration made by a student in reference to American pop-culture, is an example of the type of incongruous statement from which the author attempts to draw meaning, often with surprising success.

"Elvis is Titanic" is a book for those with a serious interest in the culture and mindset of the Kurdish people. It's slogging pace, frequent tangents, and repetitive style may make it unsuitable for the casual reader.

"Elvis is Titanic - Classroom Tales from the Other Iraq," by Ian Klaus. Published by Alfred A. Knopf Sept. 1, 2007, $24.