Aspects of 'A Woman in Istanbul' in Conversation with Ali Asghar Haqdar

A novel titled 'A Woman in Istanbul', written by Ali Asghar Haqdar, an award-winning author and researcher who has been residing in Turkey for the past few years, has been published. Haqdar has previously published numerous works on the evolution of political thought in Iran over the past century. He mentions that many of his works have not been allowed to be published in Iran due to censorship. This week, Ali Asghar Haqdar is the guest of the program. We first hear excerpts from the novel 'A Woman in Istanbul' in his own voice: 'A dim light from the yellow lamp above fills the tavern with the dust of loneliness. A woman reads a page from a book: Love is a hole that appears dark and cold due to the intensity of light and warmth. A space with unknown mazes, elusive to the eyes and minds of lovers. A pit that is entirely safe and comfortable for its inhabitants. The hole of love is extremely unfamiliar to those who have lived a lifetime in aesthetic numbness, respect, love, and trust. She raises her head and gazes at the coastal wall of the Topkapi palaces. They have not yet reached the dock. She looks at another page. These days, all my writings are for you. The empty wine bottles are my companions in loneliness. The loneliness that your absence has created for me has become the meaning of my life. The loneliness that kept the pain of the wound unrelieved within me. Every day I sit at the dock facing the sea and wait for you to disembark from the ship, bidding farewell to the foreign passengers. A branch of red roses and a branch of lilies, from which I smell your scent, are in my hand, waiting to see your hazel eyes and your long black hair tied behind your neck. The dock empties of passengers, I sip a bit of wine and gaze at the sea, waiting for the next ship.' In a conversation with Mehrdad Qasemfar, Haqdar discusses the publication of 'A Woman in Istanbul', its main themes, and the challenges he faces with censorship in Iran. He explains that the book was published in Istanbul by a Turkish publisher and narrates a type of confusion experienced by his generation and human relationships that led to their exit from Iran. The book is a collection of four narratives presented to the reader in four different voices. Haqdar also shares insights about his transition from historical research to fiction writing, his literary style, and the future availability of his works in Persian and other languages.