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Strange Times, My Dear

The PEN Anthology of Contemporary Iranian Literature

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Strange Times, My Dear

By: Ahmad Hakkak - poetry editor, Nahid Mozaffari - editor
Narrated by: Peter Ganim
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About this listen

A rich and varied collection of contemporary short stories, extracts from novels, and poetry that will go a long way toward informing the English-speaking world of the latest developments in Iranian literature.

Since the Iranian revolution of 1979, we have been virtually cut off from that country's culture. Despite severe difficulties imposed by social, political, and economic upheaval, war, repression, and censorship, there has been a veritable cultural renewal in Iran over the past 25 years, not only in literature, but also in music, art, and cinema. Now for the first time we have selections from the work of over 50 men and women from three generations in translation, which goes a long way toward filling that gap.

This sampling - or to use the Farsi term golchine, a bouquet - provides a window onto an important but sorely neglected segment of world culture. We hope it will also serve to awaken further interest in the work and in translations of Iranian novelists and poets. The poetry section is edited and introduced by Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak, professor of Persian literature at the University of Maryland.

©2005, 2011 Nahid Mozaffari (P)2012 Audible, Inc.
Literary Fiction Literary History & Criticism Middle East Middle Eastern Poetry Fiction

Editorial reviews

A cultural gap has existed between Iran and the western world since the revolution of 1979. In that time however, Iranian artists have developed a rich and unique body of works in varied forms. The editors of Strange Times, My Dear hope to bridge this gap and bring this culture to the English-speaking world through the words of contemporary authors who have worked, often at odds with censorship and hardship, to shape and deepen the Iranian landscape. Peter Ganim’s nuanced performance of these works provides a coherent primer that will open a dialogue for the uninitiated and spark a lively interest in unique segment of international literature.

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Strange but interesting

I wanted a book from a culture other than my own. These stories are quirky and enigmatic, and certainly different from Charles Dickens or Jane Austen or anything like that, so they fit the bill quite well. Alas, my enjoyment was spoiled by the awful narration. Whether he was reading the intro to a story, or a bio of the author, or dialogue, his voice never varied. Throughout this entire thing his voice was whiney and miserable sounding. I really don't think he did justice to any of the authors' works. I'll be avoiding him in the future.

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