This is the second novel by Iraqi writer Hassan Mutlaq, and it is no less important than his first novel (Dabada), which was a special model in contemporary Iraqi literature, distinguished by its uniqueness and modernity in the levels of narration, language, technique, and subject matter. Now comes (The Power of Laughter in Aura), compiled by his brother Mohsen Mutlaq Al-Ramli, from among the papers left by the deceased, following the signs and plans the author made during his repeated rewriting. The English archaeologist Oliver seeks to reach the treasures of Assyria at any cost, especially the library, but his assistant, the Iraqi excavator Adam, abandons him when he learns of his intention to steal the antiquities. Oliver then contracts with his son, Diam, who cleverly deceives him, thwarting his greatest dream and driving him mad. This novel confirms once again the depth and value of Hassan Mutlaq’s project and his importance as a novelist of a special kind. Among the many things it abounds with, we find a different vision in dealing with the relationship between East and West, which he presents on the grounds of the human and civilizational dimensions, unifying between times, taking the land of the capital of the Assyrians as a place for the movement of his characters amidst mythical climates that he depicted in an amazing language full of poetry and symbols, driven by his torment for what happened to it, saying: “There is a distant memory, since I was a student in the second grade of primary school; I witnessed a man who found a beautiful marble box and sold it for four dinars to an Englishman. At that time, I was tormented. And I am still tormented.”