The Novel 'Martyr'; One of the Most Successful Literary Works by Iranian-Americans in 2024

The English-language novel 'Martyr' by Kaveh Akbar, an Iranian-American writer, was released by Penguin Random House at the beginning of 2024 and has been well-received by readers and critics in the United States and beyond. Mr. Akbar, a poet, writer, and literature professor at American universities, has published his first novel, 'Martyr.' The novel was immediately translated into several other Western languages and became one of the most successful works by Iranian authors in 2024. The audience's reception of this novel was so strong that it made it to The New York Times bestseller list and was nominated for the National Book Award. What is 'Martyr' about? This 350-page novel tells the story of the turmoil of an orphaned Iranian immigrant boy whose life is overshadowed by grief, and he discovers new details about his family history through a painting displayed in a gallery in Brooklyn, New York. Kourosh Shams, the main character nearing 30, was raised only by his father in America, while his mother was killed when Kourosh was an infant in the incident of an American missile strike on an Iran Air plane over the Persian Gulf (a real event in July 1988). Affected by the futility of his mother's death, Kourosh believes that life gives him no reason to live, yet he cannot resign himself to dying in vain. The novel opens with the lines: 'Perhaps Kourosh had consumed the bad substances correctly or the good substances incorrectly, but when God finally answered him after twenty-seven years of silence, what Kourosh wanted most was another chance, an explanation.' American and British literary critics have praised this work. The Guardian described 'Martyr' as a kaleidoscopic novel, stating that it contains various disconnected parts that together create a symmetrical and beautiful image. Pulitzer Prize-winning American author Junot Díaz likened the main character of 'Martyr' to characters in Salman Rushdie's novels. The literary works of Iranian immigrants are often derived from their personal experiences and life stories. Kaveh Akbar also stated that everything he writes is irrevocably influenced by his unprecedented experience of life and awareness. He believes that the way language comes out of his mouth and pen always reveals something about his history, geography, and genealogy, which is true in both fiction and poetry. The book 'Martyr' also contains references to classical Persian literature. Some critics believe that Kourosh essentially aims to write a book in the tradition of Iranian mystics. Mr. Akbar himself asserts that the tradition of Persian literature 'from Rumi to Hafez and from Ferdowsi to Foroughzad is implicitly or explicitly present throughout the novel Martyr. Rumi and Ferdowsi even have their own specific chapters.' The novel 'Martyr' is a struggle between hope and despair and a quest for the meaning of life. More importantly, 'Martyr' is a novel that celebrates challenging the reasons for human suffering. Kaveh Akbar was born in January 1989 in Tehran and migrated to America with his family at the age of two. He spent his childhood in several states in America and studied literature. He eventually earned a PhD in creative writing from Florida State University. However, Mr. Akbar's main concern, now a professor of literature at the University of Iowa, is poetry. His poems have been published in prestigious magazines such as The New Yorker, The New York Times, and Paris Review. He is also the poetry editor for the American weekly The Nation, a position previously held by poets like Langston Hughes, Anne Sexton, and William Butler. He has published three poetry collections titled 'Calling the Wolf a Wolf' (2017), 'Portrait of an Alcoholic' (2017), and 'The Disappearance of the Fire Alarm' (2021). Akbar has stated that he chose the name for his poetry collection 'The Disappearance of the Fire Alarm' because he heard somewhere that revelation descended upon the Prophet of Islam like the sound of a bell. This poet is also the founder of an online magazine (Divedapper) where he has published interviews with prominent contemporary American poets and, along with two other literary critics, Sarah Kay and Claire Schwartz, wrote a poetry introduction column for Paris Review for years. Kaveh Akbar also wrote poems for the film 'The Kindergarten Teacher,' directed by Sara Colangelo, which was released in 2018. Regarding why he turned to novel writing despite his expertise in poetry, he says, 'I write a lot. I had a story I wanted to tell that was more than I could express in a poem. So, I meticulously and obsessively began studying the art of storytelling. I wanted to fill my toolbox with all these new tools.' Kaveh Akbar hopes to one day return to 'an independent and free Iran': 'I was born in Iran and in Tehran. Nothing in this world makes me happier than being able to return to an independent and free Iran; a place where no one has to live in fear.'