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erinreadstheworld 's review for:
The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree
by Shokoofeh Azar
Shokoofeh Azar was a journalist in Iran. She used her words as a weapon to speak out against the injustices around her. If you know anything about the Iranian Government, you'll know that activism is something they don't allow. After being jailed in Iran multiple times, including a 3 month stint in isolation, she made a harrowing escape by boat.
As a refugee in Australia Shokoofeh found a new dilemma, she was a wordsmith in a country where she could barely speak the language. Then she thought to herself, "OK, you don't have language, but you have freedom of expression".
So she wrote, in Farsi, a scathing critic of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Her book combines traditional Persian storytelling (think lyrical and evocative descriptions, mysticism, folklore passed down from one generation to the next) and Iranian history, to show what life was like for secularists following the Iranian Revolution in 1979 to present day.
But it's so much more than just a critic on the Iranian government. It's an ode to Zoroastrian culture and myths. It shows the power of literature and stories, to connect and create identity.
There's so much magic in the novel. There's characters who can talk to ghosts, a character that turns into a mermaid, a boy who can understand dragonflies, great grandparents who are several hundred years old, and another character who can appear and disappear at will. Life and death exist together. And I don't think we're meant to separate reality as we expect it to be and the mystical elements of the book; it's all just part of life for the characters.
There's many stories woven into one. I liked the many stories, but I did have to pay careful attention to keep up with what was happening.
There's tenderness and tragedy. It's a beautiful and brutal book.
A knowledge of Iranian history and culture is helpful to understand the story. Admittedly I had to look up a lot of words, and spend time researching the people and events mentioned. It did disrupt the flow of the story but helped deepen my understanding.
Overall, it's a really moving novel and very deserving of its International Booker nomination.
As a refugee in Australia Shokoofeh found a new dilemma, she was a wordsmith in a country where she could barely speak the language. Then she thought to herself, "OK, you don't have language, but you have freedom of expression".
So she wrote, in Farsi, a scathing critic of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Her book combines traditional Persian storytelling (think lyrical and evocative descriptions, mysticism, folklore passed down from one generation to the next) and Iranian history, to show what life was like for secularists following the Iranian Revolution in 1979 to present day.
But it's so much more than just a critic on the Iranian government. It's an ode to Zoroastrian culture and myths. It shows the power of literature and stories, to connect and create identity.
There's so much magic in the novel. There's characters who can talk to ghosts, a character that turns into a mermaid, a boy who can understand dragonflies, great grandparents who are several hundred years old, and another character who can appear and disappear at will. Life and death exist together. And I don't think we're meant to separate reality as we expect it to be and the mystical elements of the book; it's all just part of life for the characters.
There's many stories woven into one. I liked the many stories, but I did have to pay careful attention to keep up with what was happening.
There's tenderness and tragedy. It's a beautiful and brutal book.
A knowledge of Iranian history and culture is helpful to understand the story. Admittedly I had to look up a lot of words, and spend time researching the people and events mentioned. It did disrupt the flow of the story but helped deepen my understanding.
Overall, it's a really moving novel and very deserving of its International Booker nomination.