Books from Iran

Martyr! follows Cyrus Shams, a young Iranian American poet struggling with addiction, grief, and questions about the meaning of life. Having grown up in the United States after his Iranian mother died when her passenger plane was shot down over the Persian Gulf, Cyrus feels disconnected from his heritage and uncertain about his place in the world. Newly sober, he becomes fascinated by martyrs throughout history, hoping to understand what makes a life meaningful and a death significant. His search leads him to investigate his family’s past, including the experiences of an uncle who comforted dying soldiers during the Iran–Iraq War. When Cyrus discovers the story of an ailing artist whose final days are being transformed into a work of art at the Brooklyn Museum, he begins to uncover unexpected connections to his own history. Blending humour, poetry, and philosophical reflection, Akbar’s novel explores cultural inheritance, addiction, faith, and the human desire to find purpose amid suffering and loss.

Set in Tehran across three transformative decades, The Lion Women of Tehran follows Ellie and Homa, two girls from different social backgrounds who form a close friendship in the 1950s. After her father’s death, Ellie moves with her mother to a poorer neighbourhood, where she meets Homa, an outspoken and ambitious girl who dreams of becoming a judge and fighting for women’s rights. The girls share their hopes for the future, but changing circumstances eventually separate them. When they reunite years later, their friendship is tested by political upheaval, personal ambition, and a devastating betrayal. Against the backdrop of Iran’s changing political landscape, Kamali explores female friendship, social inequality, and the consequences of choices made in moments of fear and uncertainty. The novel examines how childhood relationships shape adult identities and how forgiveness can become a path towards understanding and redemption.

The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran follows an Iranian family across four decades, exploring revolution, exile, identity, and the lasting effects of political upheaval. The story begins in 1979, when Behzad, a young communist revolutionary, fights for a new political order following the fall of the Shah. He falls in love with Nahid, an equally passionate young woman, but the rise of the Islamic Republic eventually forces them to flee to West Germany. Told through four family members’ perspectives in 1979, 1989, 1999, and 2009, the novel traces their struggles to build a new life while maintaining connections to their homeland. As the children grow up between cultures, questions of belonging, memory, and inherited political convictions become increasingly complex. Their experiences culminate against the backdrop of Iran’s 2009 Green Movement, which brings the family’s past and present into renewed tension. Through its shifting voices and generations, Bazyar explores how political events shape private lives and how the meaning of home changes across generations of migration and exile.

What does it mean to remain free in a place designed to take away your freedom? In this unflinching memoir, Iranian writer Shahrnush Parsipur recounts her experiences of imprisonment under both the Shah’s regime and the Islamic Republic. Arrested four times, including a period of nearly five years in prison without formal charges, she witnesses the fear, cruelty, and ideological divisions that shape life behind bars. Yet her account is not simply a record of suffering. With remarkable candour, irony, and unexpected humour, Parsipur reflects on the absurdities of political repression, the lives of fellow prisoners, and her own struggle to understand the forces transforming her country. Combining personal testimony with sharp social observation, Prison Memoir offers a powerful portrait of a woman who refuses to surrender her independence of thought, even when the state attempts to silence her.