Ratings2
Average rating3.5
"A spellbinding debut novel about the trailblazing Iranian poet Forugh Farrokhzad, who defied society's expectations to find her voice and her destiny. "Remember the flight, for the bird is mortal." All through her childhood in Tehran, Forugh Farrokhzad is told that Persian daughters should be quiet and modest. She is taught only to obey, but she always finds ways to rebel, gossiping with her sister among the fragrant roses of her mother's walled garden, venturing to the forbidden rooftop to roughhouse with her three brothers, writing poems to impress her strict, disapproving father, and sneaking out to flirt with a teenage paramour over café glacé. During the summer of 1950, Forugh's passion for poetry takes flight, and tradition seeks to clip her wings. Forced into a suffocating marriage, Forugh runs away and falls into an affair that fuels her desire to write and to achieve freedom and independence. Forugh's poems are considered both scandalous and brilliant; she is heralded by some as a national treasure, vilified by others as a demon influenced by the West. She perseveres, finding love with a notorious filmmaker and living by her own rules, at enormous cost. But the power of her writing only grows stronger amid the upheaval of the Iranian revolution. Inspired by Forugh Farrokhzad's verse, letters, films, and interviews, and including original translations of her poems, this haunting novel uses the lens of fiction to capture the tenacity, spirit, and conflicting desires of a brave woman who represents the birth of feminism in Iran, and who continues to inspire generations of women around the world." --
Reviews with the most likes.
Wow was this book very emotional. The struggles of a rebellious woman with an intelligent mind in an environment that considers a woman to be nothing more than the property of her husband is very humbling to read. Forugh is never satisfied in conforming to the norms and does everything she can to give life to the words constantly forming in her mind. Though I was surprised to know that some of the most compelling relationships in the book are actually fictionalized, the author used them as a backdrop to throw light on the student protests and the clash between the old guard and the changing minds of the younger generation. I absolutely loved that some of the translated poems of Forugh were included throughout the book because it gave a unique insight into her mind and makes me want to read more of her works. It's always fascinating and also emotional to read about such an amazing woman who only lived for 32 years but left an indelible mark on a culture which remains even decades after her death.