Iran’s Culture: Books, Films & Music to Understand a Complex Nation
Understanding one of the world’s oldest civilizations can’t be achieved through a single film or book. But recent works of literature, journalism, music and film by Iranians are a powerful starting point. Clockwise from top left: The Seed of the Sacred Fig, For The Sun After Long Nights, Cutting Through Rocks, It Was Just an Accident, Martyr!, and Kayhan Kalhor. NEON; Pantheon; Gandom Films Production; NEON; Vintage; Julia Gunther for NPR hide caption
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NEON; Pantheon; Gandom Films Production; NEON; Vintage; Julia Gunther for NPR
Few Americans have had the opportunity to visit or explore Iran, a nation of over 90 million people which has been effectively isolated from the United States since the 1979 revolution. Recent works of literature, journalism, music and film created by Iranians and those within the Iranian diaspora offer a window into this ancient culture and its contemporary realities.
These suggestions are a starting point, emphasizing recent works by Iranians themselves.
Books
For the Sun After Long Nights: The Story of Iran’s Women-Led Uprising, by Fatemeh Jamalpour and Nilo Tabrizy
For the Sun After Long Nights: The Story of Iran’s Women-Led Uprising by journalists Fatemeh Jamalpour and Nilo Tabrizy chronicles the 2022 protests, with Jamalpour reporting from within Tehran.
Gold, by Rumi, translated by Haleh Liza Gafori
Haleh Liza Gafori’s translations of Rumi offer a fresh perspective on the 13th-century poet, avoiding interpretations based on English translations and grounding the work in its original Islamic context.
Martyr!: A Novel, by Kaveh Akbar