Birds in a Gale

by Ata Nahai

A kaleidoscopic novel, investigating the nature of politics, narrative, and self determination in the wake of the Islamic Revolution.

Kurdish writers do not discriminate between novellas, short stories, and novels–these words are western inventions; in Kurdish, “çîrok” refers to every kind of story. And among the contemporary Kurdish writers spread across Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Armenia, Iran, and the global diaspora, none is more revered than Ata Nahai.

Poignant, psychological, and deeply political, BIRDS IN A GALE is composed of the entwined stories of a writer and his characters in the time after the Islamic Revolution in Iran. In this inventive metatext, lucidly translated by Chiya Parvizpur and Hourieh Maleki Qouzloo, the reader experiences the trauma and healing of a people reeling from a hundred years of repression and violence as the story slips deeper and deeper into itself. And as the author becomes one of his characters and a character takes on the role of author, we readers are left in a realm of bittersweet dreams and historical nightmare, holding tightly to the evocative words of a writer at the top of his craft.

240 pages, Paperback

Published December 2, 2025

Reviews

[Chia · Rating 5 out of 5]

We translated this novel because it is not only a masterpiece of modern Kurdish literature, but also an instant classic of the twenty-first century. This work transcends Kurdish borders and speaks to universal readers across languages, cultures, and geographies. Ata Nahai, widely regarded as the father of modern Kurdish fiction, has created in this novel a profoundly human book, one that deserves to be read far beyond its place of origin. As translators, we felt a deep responsibility to carry its voice into the world, to let its language breathe in another tongue. Read this novel slowly. Relish every word, every silence, every ache and wonder it holds. Enter its world, and discover the beauty, depth, and universality that make it unforgettable.