SONG OF A CAPTIVE BIRD: A NOVEL
Book ID/图书代码： 01240016B96269
English Summary/英文概要： SONG OF A CAPTIVE BIRD tells the story of the infamous Iranian poet Forugh Farrokzhad, who inspired generations of feminists in Iran. In the 1940’s when Forugh Farrokzhad was a child, Iran had started to show signs of Westernization and when we are introduced to this spunky young girl in Tehran, she is the epitome of the change that seemed to be on the horizon. At the time, though, most of Iran still thought girls were meant to live a life of subservience. She wasn’t like her sister or other girls, she didn’t follow rules and was curious and even “naughty,” always wanting to do what she wanted to do. Forugh dreamed passionately of living a life that she chose, and of being a published poet who could write from her heart.
At 15 years-old Forugh fell in love with a young man with whom she met surreptitiously at a café in town. When they were discovered, she was forced to marry him and was soon trapped in despair. She found her poetry saved her and she was simply incapable of living a life that was not her own. She ran away, leaving behind her husband, his mother, and an infant son.
I am the progeny of trees
Breathing stagnant air wearies me
A dead bird advised me to bear the flight in mind
The ultimate end of forces is connection, connection with the luminous source of the sun
and flowing into the intelligence of light
Why should I stop?
SONG OF A CAPTIVE BIRD gently weaves the life of this poet with the changing world in Tehran during the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. We learn the genesis of the Iranian Revolution and how it evolved from the backlash against the Shah’s embrace of Westernization. Upon publication, Forugh’s poems were considered both scandalous and brilliant. She was a national treasure and the devil herself, all at the same time. She continued living life by her own rules, but at the cost of love, friendship, and eventually her own life, cut tragically short at the age of 32, amid the violent upheaval of the budding Iranian revolution. In subsequent years, Forugh’s poetry was completely banned, burned, or hidden away. What a perfect time for this book. We are grateful for it! To this day, Forugh Farrokhzad represents the birth of feminism in Iran, and Jasmin Darznik uses the lens of fiction to capture the tenacity, spirit, and ecstatic turmoil of this iconic woman. The book includes several original translated poems of Forugh Farrokhzad, translated by the author specifically for this novel.
Chinese Summary/中文概要： 本书讲述了伊朗诗人Forugh Farrokzhad的故事，在她的启发下，伊朗才有了一代又一代的女权主义者。在1940年代，当时的Forugh Farrokzhad还只是个孩子，伊朗已经开始有了西方化的迹象，但大多数伊朗人依旧认为女孩应该要以顺从的姿态度过一生。她和自己的姐妹或者其他女孩不同，她不愿意遵守规则，一直都很好奇，甚至有些“淘气”，想要做自己愿意去做的事情。Forugh梦想着能够过上自己选择的生活，成为一名能够说出自己心生的出版书籍的诗人。
15岁的时候，Forugh爱上一个在镇上咖啡馆遇到的年轻男人。他们的关系被发现之后她不得不嫁给他，很快就陷入绝望。是诗歌拯救了她，她逃走了，留下了自己的丈夫、婆婆和年幼的儿子。
本书就讲述了这个诗人在40到60年代的生活。Forugh的诗歌被认为是耸人听闻的，同时也有人认为是精彩绝伦的。她既是伊朗的国宝，也有人视她为毒妇。她坚持要过自己想要的生活，但代价是爱，友谊和自己的生命。她在32岁时就死在萌芽的伊朗革命之中。此后，她的诗歌被禁。直到今日，Forugh Farrokhzad仍旧代表了伊朗女权主义的萌生，Jasmin Darznik则用虚构的方式再现了这位传奇女性的顽强、精神和混乱。本书中包括一些Forugh原创的诗歌作品，是作者为这本小说专门翻译的。（LYR）
Awards/获奖情况：“Written with the urgent tenderness of a love letter, this soaring novel is a heart-breaker and heart-mender at once. Meticulously researched and vibrantly imagined, Song of a Captive Bird, is a gorgeous tribute to the brave and brilliant poet remembered on its pages.”— Tayari Jones, author of An American Marriage and Silver Sparrow
“Forugh Farrokhzad’s determination to live freely and authentically, and to express that determination in her art, proved unbearable to the fundamentalist state. Jasmin Darznik brings her own poetic sensibility to bear on this tragic, but ultimately inspiring, act of creative remembrance.”— Jonathan Dee, author of The Locals
“Jasmin Darznik’s moving portrait of Forugh Farrokhzad does true justice to the brave voice of a poet, beloved by generations of Iranians, whose work should be better known. Alive and sensuous, Darznik’s prose mirrors Forugh’s poetry, making no separation between life and work, leaving open and unguarded that door we so often find closed.”
• Donia Bijan, author of The Last Days of Cafe Leila
Review update!!
Attached above:
Starred Booklist – where they compare Jasmin Darznik to Sylvia Path…
Vogue–mention and book shot
Bookpage–mention and book shot
“Song of a Captive Bird is a complex and beautiful rendering of that vanished country and its scattered people; a reminder of the power and purpose of art; and an ode to female creativity under a patriarchy that repeatedly tries to snuff it out.”—The New York Times Book Review
About the Author/作者介绍： Jasmin Darznik出生在德黑兰，目前在旧金山大学教授MFA课程。她的第一本书《THE GOOD DAUGHTER: A Memoir of My Mother’s Hidden Life》是《纽约时报》畅销书，已被翻译成八种语言，在十三个国家发行。该回忆录还日为佛吉尼亚图书馆读者选择奖的决赛，并入围了William Saroyan国际写作奖。Darznik的作品曾发表在包括《纽约时报》、《华盛顿邮报》、《洛杉矶时报》等刊物和其他出版物上。她曾获得多项奖项。她拥有本宁顿学院的MFA学位和普林斯顿的英语博士学位。
Jasmin Darznik was born in Tehran and currently teaches in the MFA program at the University of San Francisco. Her first book, THE GOOD DAUGHTER: A Memoir of My Mother’s Hidden Life (Grand Central, 2011), was a New York Times bestseller, has been translated into eight languages, and published in thirteen countries. The memoir was a finalist for the Readers’ Choice Award from the Library of Virginia and short-listed for the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing. Darznik’s writing has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and other publications. She has received awards and distinctions from the Steinbeck Fellows Program, Zoetrope: All-Story, Iowa Review, Norman Mailer Colony, Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, Bennington Writing Seminars, and the Corporation of Yaddo.
Format:
Rights Status/版权销售情况：Simplified Chinese/简体中文：AVAILABLE
Complex/Traditional Chinese/繁体中文：AVAILABLE
Sales in other countries/其他国家销售情况：French: Bragelonne; Italian: Piemme; Lithuanian: Balto; Russian: Mann, Ivanov, and Ferber; Turkish: Marti
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