Book Review

Burnt Lungs

Mahia Hafizi
Translated by: Zahra Hosseinian

2023-6-22

The book Burnt Lungs was published in 2021 by the Foundation for the Preservation and Publication of Sacred Defence Works and Values (West Azerbaijan) in 280 pages. Mr. Jalal Kaviani conducted the interview and edited it. “Oral History of Abdulrahim Najaf Gholizadeh Saraei can be seen on the cover.

It seems that the oral history of a person cannot be used as a criterion for naming and research, because oral history is considered as the memories and observations of a person as well as an eyewitness of an event.

The book has 6 chapters plus sources, photos and index. The chapters start with the introduction and childhood of the narrator, respectively, and deal with the customs of "Saray" village, one of the villages of East Azerbaijan. Then, the memories from his education up to high school program were covered. In the second chapter the narrator explains that he chose to study in the seminary instead of the agricultural technical and vocational education centre, and admitted in Tabriz seminary at the beginning of 1983. Third chapter covers the narrator's memories of the revolution and doing revolution graffiti on the wall of the school, etc., as well as his marriage in 1985, and the introduction of his children. The fourth chapter narrates the memories of continuing education in Qom seminary and its difference from Tabriz.

The fifth chapter includes the narrator's memories of the beginning of the war and holy defence, going to the front, and the Badr and Wal-Fajr 8 operations. “If the enemy noticed our movements,” he said about the reconnaissance operations of intelligence, “the Wal-Fajr 8 operation would become worse than Karbala-4 operation. For this reason, the start day of Wal-Fajr operation was called Protection and Information Day.”

In this chapter, Abdulrahim Saraei has explained how he and his comrades were chemically injured. After the Karbala-5 operation and the fatigue of the battalion, they were chemically bombarded, and unfortunately, they did not have masks. The entire forces of the Abouzar battalion were chemically bombarded, and their bodies blistered. The ambulance took them to the field hospital. After two days, their lungs were swollen, and they were transferred to Shahid Beqaei Hospital. After years, he still has lung problems and is being treated.

The sixth chapter deals with the Saraei's joint the IRGC, the memories of his service in Markazi Province and Tabriz during 2009 to 2012, and at the end, his final responsibility in West Azerbaijan. The scattering of memories slightly confuses the mind. The date of the events is not in order; for example, first the memories of the narrator's marriage has come, and then flashbacked to his studying in the middle school; or at the end of the conversation, the question about Resolution 598 was repeated for the second time.

On the back cover of the book, a recent photo of the narrator and a photo from his days during the war can be seen along with an explanation about his chemical injury.