I was listening to NPR on my way home from work today, as I often do, and there was a story about one of the funniest things I’ve heard of in a while. Apparently, Saddam Hussein is a romance novelist. No, really.

Today’s All Things Considered featured a story called Contemplating Saddam, the Romance Novelist (scroll down almost to the bottom, it’s there, and you can listen to it).

The woman reporting seems to condemn him for his vanity because he’s really playing out his own fantasies instead of writing good books. I would encourage it, though. In fact I would encourage any non-harmful creative outlet in someone whose only other outlet seems to be killing people.

So many dictators write books that there’s actually a name for it. Dic-lit.

Further research revels that amazon.com sells Zabiba and the King, the first on this books, in both English and what I think is French. You can get the English in digital for for only $10! The Amazon editor’s write-up talks a lot about allegory and the not-so-hidden political meaning in the book, but I’m much more intersted in the fact that it was turned into a musical stage production in Baghdad.

No matter how you feel about the story, you have to admit it’s hilarious to think of Saddam Hussein, cruel and ruthless former dictator of Iraq, sitting down and writing something like this:

“Oh yes!” she cried, “YES!” as he thrust his throbbing member into her velvety sheath. She writhed in pleasure on the pillows as he entered her again and again, thanking Allah that she has the priviledge of making love to the most powerful man on Earth.

This is the best thing that’s happened to me today.