We’re not deeply knowledgeable about the contemporary Iraqi writing scene, but we’re willing, even eager, to learn about it, and this anthology is a fine primer. Its selections are various, including work by Christians, Jews, Muslims, and women, some currently abroad, and all introduced with helpful biographical sketches. But a hollowed-out sadness unites the stories—especially vis-à-vis the ravaged environments the characters tend to inhabit—that puts us in mind of the haunting, depopulated portraits of Giorgio de Chirico.