Hemingway and Saddam

The Iraq Survey Group report reveals that Saddam identifies with Santiago from Hemingway's The Old Man and The Sea in his desparate failed attempt to save his catch, a marlin, from sharks.

"Saddam tended to characterise, in a very Hemingwayesque way, his life as a relentless struggle against overwhelming odds, but carried out with courage, perseverance and dignity . . . Much like Santiago, ultimately left with only the marlin's skeleton as the trophy of his success, to Saddam even a hollow victory was by his reckoning a real one."

Imagine Saddam sat at a lap top computer doing a personality test, "which literary character are you?". Answering the questions and getting the response "You are Santiago from Hemingway's The Old Man and The Sea".


"Damm. I so wanted to be Michael Corleone from Puzo's The Godfather".