I Admit That I Am Enchanted by Words

"Stoning of Summer" is the latest fictional work by Farah Molavi, a writer and translator residing in Toronto, published by Nakhoja Publishing in Paris in both electronic and paper formats, featuring 11 short stories. These stories primarily focus on the Iranian human experience in the context of migration. Previously, this author has published 8 other collections of stories and novels. I invited Farah Molavi to be our guest this week to discuss her latest work. "The Case of the Tail. Mr. Another goes to sleep at night and wakes up in the morning to find... not that the world has turned upside down, but his tail is itching. And what an itch it is! May a Muslim not hear, may a non-believer not see. Mr. Another does not acknowledge it for a day or two, hoping it is just a cat. Gradually, however, he realizes that a cat is too picky to relieve itself anywhere. Mr. Another thinks it must be a boil or a sore in a place it shouldn’t be. It’s better to reach out and check. First, the right hand and then the left hand go back and forth, at all times and places, inspecting the tail and its surroundings, eventually reporting to Mr. Another that what has emerged is not a boil or sore but a tail. A sigh escapes Mr. Another, and he falls into a feverish state of denial. He picks up a mirror, places it to see for himself, but he cannot see. Disbelief and itchiness take their toll. Finally, hoping for relief, he sets aside doubt and submits to fate. He falls asleep in the midst of the itch. He breathes a sigh of relief and sends his right and left hands to the scene to see if, God willing, he has also been freed from the other affliction. The hands go and come back, reporting that the blessed tail is alive and present." "Lines from the story of the tail, from the collection Stoning of Summer". Thank you, Ms. Molavi. Welcome to the program "Close-Up, Overview". Why is there such diversity among the stories and themes in your last collection? What is the reason for this? Farah Molavi: I think it’s a good point that I should explain. A collection of stories will cover a time span. Unlike a novel, which starts at a specific time and has coherence, a collection is never like that. You might find a collection from a writer that covers a short time span. It might also be like my book, which covers a span of ten or eleven years. Therefore, stories written over a long time span cannot be very similar. So, "Stoning of Summer" is not actually the product of a short period of your writing activities in the field of storytelling? Not at all. I believe that the nature of a collection of stories is such that stories are written over a period of time. Another part of the answer relates to my work's characteristics, which is that I have never only focused on short stories. Another point that stands out in this book for a reader who follows narrative literature is that these stories create very different atmospheres from one another in terms of structure. There are stories in this collection that maintain a completely underlying humorous atmosphere, like the case of SARS. Or there are stories that have a surrealistic atmosphere, like the case of the tail. Or there are other stories that are extremely realistic, like the story of the tunnel. Generally, a writer can be defined as either a realist or one who uses social critique as a theme, or whose atmospheres are humorous. How can the book "Stoning of Summer" be defined in this regard? I am someone who enjoys experimenting with form. My desire for variety or to escape boredom and repetition drives me to try a different method in each story. It may work, or it may not. What remains constant in your work is this narrative style or writing style. Your prose is unique to you. It seems you are one of those writers who are very fond of words. Fond of the rhythm and color and sound that the combination of words, phrases, and descriptions creates. When I read your prose, I feel you also have an enchantment with the weight and color in the words while writing, and this dominates many of your texts. I do not only deny it; I admit that I am enchanted by words, enchanted by the rhythm of language, enchanted by the Persian language. If what you are saying is that sometimes this enchantment is excessive and harms the work, that risk exists... In fact, I want to say just that. It is very difficult work for any writer. It is like walking on a tightrope at a height. Because sometimes this very enchantment can make your prose affected. In other words, a kind of affected prose, or with the tone and voice of texts from the Qajar era, which makes it somewhat strange with today’s language. Like the opening lines of the short story "Lady Without a Cute Dog" that appears in this book. Perhaps this is a good example. I think the discussion you are having is completely logical and reasonable. I accept that any writer who takes this risk may be accused of being hard to read. The reality is that my audience is not just any reader. They are professional readers. [One of the characteristics of] a professional reader is patience. Because you saw this book, the story of the tree has no affected prose at all. Most of the stories here, except for one or two, are... the reality is that they are complex. This very "Lady Without a Cute Dog" is a very complex story, both in terms of structure and theme. There are stories that (in my opinion) when they come to me, I think I cannot simplify them. That is, the inner need of the story pulls the writer to go this way or that way. Of course, the characteristics of the author also play a role. As I said, a writer may go along one line from the beginning of their life to the end. We have Proust, who is indeed hard to read. On the other hand, we have someone who writes very easily.