This book examines the role of Persian literature in politics in the tumultuous period of Iranian history from 1950 to 2000, illustrating how intellectuals used poetry, plays, novels and short stories to comment on socio-political developments. The unique aspect of the book is its strong empirical perspective, as Karimi-Hakkak has participated in the events he is writing about. It analyses how Persian intellectuals dealt with censorship, suppression, imprisonment, exile and even execution for the sake of expression of free speech.
- Cover
- Contents
- Acknowledgments, Notes, and a Dedication
- Prologue
- The Bleeding Pen
- Part One
- Chapter 1. Revolutionary Posturing
- Chapter 2. Protest and Perish
- Chapter 3. Authors and Authorities
- Chapter 4. Of Hail and Hounds
- Part Two
- Chapter 5. A Well Amid the Waste
- Chapter 6. Up from the Underground
- Chapter 7. Poet of Desires Turned to Dust
- Chapter 8. A Storyteller and His Times
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index