What do you think?
Rate this book
Song of a Captive Bird
A spellbinding debut novel about the trailblazing poet Forugh Farrokhzhad, who defied Iranian society to find her voice and her destiny
“Remember the flight, for the bird is mortal.”—Forugh Farrokhzad
All through her childhood in Tehran, Forugh is told that Iranian daughters should be quiet and modest. She is taught only to obey, but she always finds ways to rebel—gossiping with her sister among the fragrant roses of her mother’s walled garden, venturing to the forbidden rooftop to roughhouse with her three brothers, writing poems to impress her strict, disapproving father, and sneaking out to flirt with a teenage paramour over café glacé. It’s during the summer of 1950 that Forugh’s passion for poetry really takes flight—and that tradition seeks to clip her wings.
Forced into a suffocating marriage, Forugh runs away and falls into an affair that fuels her desire to write and to achieve freedom and independence. Forugh’s poems are considered both scandalous and brilliant; she is heralded by some as a national treasure, vilified by others as a demon influenced by the West. She perseveres, finding love with a notorious filmmaker and living by her own rules—at enormous cost. But the power of her writing grows only stronger amid the upheaval of the Iranian revolution.
Inspired by Forugh Farrokhzad’s verse, letters, films, and interviews—and including original translations of her poems—Jasmin Darznik has written a haunting novel, using the lens of fiction to capture the tenacity, spirit, and conflicting desires of a brave woman who represents the birth of feminism in Iran—and who continues to inspire generations of women around the world.
“Remember the flight, for the bird is mortal.”—Forugh Farrokhzad
All through her childhood in Tehran, Forugh is told that Iranian daughters should be quiet and modest. She is taught only to obey, but she always finds ways to rebel—gossiping with her sister among the fragrant roses of her mother’s walled garden, venturing to the forbidden rooftop to roughhouse with her three brothers, writing poems to impress her strict, disapproving father, and sneaking out to flirt with a teenage paramour over café glacé. It’s during the summer of 1950 that Forugh’s passion for poetry really takes flight—and that tradition seeks to clip her wings.
Forced into a suffocating marriage, Forugh runs away and falls into an affair that fuels her desire to write and to achieve freedom and independence. Forugh’s poems are considered both scandalous and brilliant; she is heralded by some as a national treasure, vilified by others as a demon influenced by the West. She perseveres, finding love with a notorious filmmaker and living by her own rules—at enormous cost. But the power of her writing grows only stronger amid the upheaval of the Iranian revolution.
Inspired by Forugh Farrokhzad’s verse, letters, films, and interviews—and including original translations of her poems—Jasmin Darznik has written a haunting novel, using the lens of fiction to capture the tenacity, spirit, and conflicting desires of a brave woman who represents the birth of feminism in Iran—and who continues to inspire generations of women around the world.
Audible Audio
First published February 13, 2018
476 people are currently reading
17221 people want to read
About the author
Jasmin Darznik
12 books521 followersThere comes a point when the secrets you've kept most hidden become the stories you must tell. I was born in Iran and moved with my family to the U.S. when I was five. Even after earning a PhD in English from Princeton, I never considered becoming an author. But accidentally finding out about my mother's secret life changed that. In 2011, I published my first book, The Good Daughter, which tells the story of how my mother was married at thirteen and forced to give up a child, a half-sister I never knew. That book changed my life. Since then I have been in pursuit of lost or forgotten stories--and the pleasure of disappearing into other worlds through writing.
HOW I STARTED WRITING
I wasn’t supposed to be a writer. Nothing in my first-generation immigrant background supported it, and so much impeded it. Still, I was a reader. As a child I left my small town library with novels stacked up to my chest and under my chin. I’d go home and luxuriate in the possibility of disappearing into different worlds. Beyond that was the twenty-room motel my parents bought when we came to America, a place of struggle and uncertainty. Books were my way out.
But writing? Even as I hacked away at the prohibitions and doubts set down by my family, it still seemed impossible. I was expected to do something practical. When I decided to get a PhD in American literature, as far as my family was concerned it was as if I’d run away with the Grateful Dead. As detours go, it was a useful one. As I read Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior and Zora Neale Hurston’s Dust Tracks on the Road, I found myself profoundly moved by the feeling these writers weren’t just telling me a story—they were telling me who they were.
Having grown up in a family where telling people who you were could be, and often was, regarded as a betrayal, these works were both a revelation and a provocation. That was a beginning, a very important one: to discover voices that spoke to me with an intimacy I rarely experienced in real life.
Still, I might never have crossed over from reading to writing if I hadn’t bumped into my parents’ next-door neighbor one afternoon when I was back home from graduate school. This was about fifteen years ago. We got to chatting and she told me she’d just published a book.
Hold up! I thought. Writing seemed like such an exalted profession. I’d never known a writer in real life. And now, suddenly, I did: the woman next door. Thankfully, I had the presence of mind to ask my neighbor how she’d done it. She told me she’d enrolled in a creative writing workshop through our local independent bookstore, Book Passage, and that’s where she got her start.
That same day I walked over to Book Passage and I signed up for a spot in the writer’s workshop my neighbor recommended. My classmates, mostly women, were strangers to me, people I’d likely never have met in any other context, even though ours was a small community. But once a week, Fridays, 6 to 9 pm, we were kin, bound together by our common love of stories and an urgent, if muted, desire to speak and to be seen.
For two years, I showed up at that workshop every Friday night, pages in hand, heart kicking against my chest as I read for my allotted ten minutes. It was a time of discovery, in some ways the sweetest time of my writing life so far. I wasn’t writing to publish anything, though that might have shimmered as a distant dream; I was wholly taken up by the urge to make something beautiful and to connect with other people.
That’s what got me started, and what keeps me going to this day.
HOW I STARTED WRITING
I wasn’t supposed to be a writer. Nothing in my first-generation immigrant background supported it, and so much impeded it. Still, I was a reader. As a child I left my small town library with novels stacked up to my chest and under my chin. I’d go home and luxuriate in the possibility of disappearing into different worlds. Beyond that was the twenty-room motel my parents bought when we came to America, a place of struggle and uncertainty. Books were my way out.
But writing? Even as I hacked away at the prohibitions and doubts set down by my family, it still seemed impossible. I was expected to do something practical. When I decided to get a PhD in American literature, as far as my family was concerned it was as if I’d run away with the Grateful Dead. As detours go, it was a useful one. As I read Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior and Zora Neale Hurston’s Dust Tracks on the Road, I found myself profoundly moved by the feeling these writers weren’t just telling me a story—they were telling me who they were.
Having grown up in a family where telling people who you were could be, and often was, regarded as a betrayal, these works were both a revelation and a provocation. That was a beginning, a very important one: to discover voices that spoke to me with an intimacy I rarely experienced in real life.
Still, I might never have crossed over from reading to writing if I hadn’t bumped into my parents’ next-door neighbor one afternoon when I was back home from graduate school. This was about fifteen years ago. We got to chatting and she told me she’d just published a book.
Hold up! I thought. Writing seemed like such an exalted profession. I’d never known a writer in real life. And now, suddenly, I did: the woman next door. Thankfully, I had the presence of mind to ask my neighbor how she’d done it. She told me she’d enrolled in a creative writing workshop through our local independent bookstore, Book Passage, and that’s where she got her start.
That same day I walked over to Book Passage and I signed up for a spot in the writer’s workshop my neighbor recommended. My classmates, mostly women, were strangers to me, people I’d likely never have met in any other context, even though ours was a small community. But once a week, Fridays, 6 to 9 pm, we were kin, bound together by our common love of stories and an urgent, if muted, desire to speak and to be seen.
For two years, I showed up at that workshop every Friday night, pages in hand, heart kicking against my chest as I read for my allotted ten minutes. It was a time of discovery, in some ways the sweetest time of my writing life so far. I wasn’t writing to publish anything, though that might have shimmered as a distant dream; I was wholly taken up by the urge to make something beautiful and to connect with other people.
That’s what got me started, and what keeps me going to this day.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,009 reviews
May 4, 2018
I won a copy of this book through one of my book groups. I had NO IDEA how good this book would be.
This book is inspired by the life and poetry of Forugh Farrokhzad. She was amazing! She went against the grain of what an Iranian woman should be in those times. She was a great poetis, feminist and activist.
Thank you to Retro Chapter Chics for getting me involved in this book!
Happy Reading!
Mel 🖤🐾🐺
This book is inspired by the life and poetry of Forugh Farrokhzad. She was amazing! She went against the grain of what an Iranian woman should be in those times. She was a great poetis, feminist and activist.
Thank you to Retro Chapter Chics for getting me involved in this book!
And this is me
a woman alone
on the threshold of a cold season
on the verge of understanding
the earth's polluted existence
and the simple sadness of the sky
and the weakness of these hands.
. . .
I'm cold,
I'm cold it seems
I'll never be warm again . . .
I'm cold and I know
there's nothing left of the wild poppy's dreams
but a few drops of blood.
-from "Let Us Believe in the Dawn of the Cold Season"
Happy Reading!
Mel 🖤🐾🐺
February 21, 2018
Toward the end of last year I joined the moderator team of the group retro chapter chicks. We take part in a variety of historical fiction and nonfiction history group reads and discussions, and are given an occasional opportunity to review advance reader copies. One such book is Song of a Captive Bird, the debut novel by Jasmin Darznik, an Iranian American literature professor who resides in northern California. Although this book is slotted as a group read in a few months, I was drawn to the pretty color, which lightened up a gray winter day. Combined with a captivating subject matter, I could not resist to read this tale of Iranian feminist poet Forugh Farrokhzad a few months in advance.
It is 1950s Iran. Although it is decades before the Khomeini family overthrew the shah and his antiquated form of government, Iran is still an eastern powerhouse country, devoid of many eastern influences. Women do not have to wear a burka that is emblematic with their status today, but their rights were limited nonetheless. Girls were lucky to receive an eighth grade education, and unmarried women and girls could rarely leave their homes unless they were chaperoned by a male relative. Women went from being the property of their fathers to that of their husbands and unless they were fortunate enough to marry a forward thinking person, still were relegated to life within their homes. Forugh Farrokhzad was a rebellious daughter of Colonel Farrokhzad. From an early age she desired more than a life as an obedient daughter turned wife, and was influenced by the extensive library her father kept in their home. Despite receiving only the requisite eighth grade education, Forugh kept up her learning through reading and then eventually writing poetry. What is more, despite the attitude toward women writers during the era, her father initially encouraged her forays into writing. This changed one day when Forugh showed promise as a poet.
Coming of age, Forugh thought she found true love in the form of a cousin Parviz Shapour. Her father not knowing what to do with her rebellious daughter, married her off before she brought shame to the family. Shipped off to rural Ahwez, Forugh became the property of Parviz and by extension his mother. She became a prisoner in their humble abode and longed for life back in Tehran. After giving birth to her son Kamyan, Forugh longed for her family only to discover than Parviz had no desire to travel to the nation's capital city. Craving independence from her husband, Forugh turned to writing and had invitations to publish in some of the city's start up intellectual literary journals of the time. Traveling to the capital alone under the guise of visiting her mother, Forugh began to make a name for herself in poetry circles, albeit a scandalous one. As a result, she brought the shame to her family that the Colonel had feared during Forugh's teenage years. The feminist poems which influenced a generation of school girls, but lead to Forugh's divorce from Parviz as he did not wish to be married to a modern woman who did not fit the mold of demure Iranian wife and mother.
Equating marriage as bird captive in a cage, Forugh makes a name for herself as a poet and forges a strong female friendship with Qajar heiress Leila Farmayan who becomes her entry into the upper crust of Tehran society. While Darznik has take poetic license in creating this friendship, she uses it as a means to touch on the crumbling Iranian society amidst student uprisings in the later 1950s and early 1960s. The discovery of oil in Iran brought an influx of English and American influences into the country, and, with the arrival of westerners, the desire of the younger generation to enjoy better human rights. Leading to various factions in both the government and society, people lived in constant fear until these student protests quelled. In the midst of this activism, Forugh continued to write poetry volumes, which lead to a meeting and relationship with film director Darius Golshiri. Darznik takes much license in their relationship as well, but uses it to touch on the changing place of women in society. Unfortunately, in a country as Iran, the more things changed especially with increasing western influence, the more men asserted themselves as superior to women. Forugh's place as a poet and later as a film director cemented her place in intellectual circles, but many still believed that men wrote her work and wished her to stop writing. This criticism only encouraged Forugh to continue writing.
In her afterward, Darznik writes that when her family fled Iran in 1978, her mother smuggled out two volumes of Forugh's poetry. Seeing this poetry as a child led to Darznik's fascination with the poetess later in life, which eventually lead to her research for this book. She includes translated poems throughout the text including the title poem Song of a Captive Bird. I found the poetry to be more mature than the prose, but felt that the prose flowed well for a debut novel. I myself grew fascinated with Forugh Farrokhzad's life and would be intrigued to read some of her poetry past the selections featured in this novel. Combined with the sensory stimulating cover and feminist poetry, Darznik shows promise as a continuing novelist, and I would look forward to reading her future novels.
Breakdown:
4.5 story
3 writing
4 poetry
3.5 overall
It is 1950s Iran. Although it is decades before the Khomeini family overthrew the shah and his antiquated form of government, Iran is still an eastern powerhouse country, devoid of many eastern influences. Women do not have to wear a burka that is emblematic with their status today, but their rights were limited nonetheless. Girls were lucky to receive an eighth grade education, and unmarried women and girls could rarely leave their homes unless they were chaperoned by a male relative. Women went from being the property of their fathers to that of their husbands and unless they were fortunate enough to marry a forward thinking person, still were relegated to life within their homes. Forugh Farrokhzad was a rebellious daughter of Colonel Farrokhzad. From an early age she desired more than a life as an obedient daughter turned wife, and was influenced by the extensive library her father kept in their home. Despite receiving only the requisite eighth grade education, Forugh kept up her learning through reading and then eventually writing poetry. What is more, despite the attitude toward women writers during the era, her father initially encouraged her forays into writing. This changed one day when Forugh showed promise as a poet.
Coming of age, Forugh thought she found true love in the form of a cousin Parviz Shapour. Her father not knowing what to do with her rebellious daughter, married her off before she brought shame to the family. Shipped off to rural Ahwez, Forugh became the property of Parviz and by extension his mother. She became a prisoner in their humble abode and longed for life back in Tehran. After giving birth to her son Kamyan, Forugh longed for her family only to discover than Parviz had no desire to travel to the nation's capital city. Craving independence from her husband, Forugh turned to writing and had invitations to publish in some of the city's start up intellectual literary journals of the time. Traveling to the capital alone under the guise of visiting her mother, Forugh began to make a name for herself in poetry circles, albeit a scandalous one. As a result, she brought the shame to her family that the Colonel had feared during Forugh's teenage years. The feminist poems which influenced a generation of school girls, but lead to Forugh's divorce from Parviz as he did not wish to be married to a modern woman who did not fit the mold of demure Iranian wife and mother.
Equating marriage as bird captive in a cage, Forugh makes a name for herself as a poet and forges a strong female friendship with Qajar heiress Leila Farmayan who becomes her entry into the upper crust of Tehran society. While Darznik has take poetic license in creating this friendship, she uses it as a means to touch on the crumbling Iranian society amidst student uprisings in the later 1950s and early 1960s. The discovery of oil in Iran brought an influx of English and American influences into the country, and, with the arrival of westerners, the desire of the younger generation to enjoy better human rights. Leading to various factions in both the government and society, people lived in constant fear until these student protests quelled. In the midst of this activism, Forugh continued to write poetry volumes, which lead to a meeting and relationship with film director Darius Golshiri. Darznik takes much license in their relationship as well, but uses it to touch on the changing place of women in society. Unfortunately, in a country as Iran, the more things changed especially with increasing western influence, the more men asserted themselves as superior to women. Forugh's place as a poet and later as a film director cemented her place in intellectual circles, but many still believed that men wrote her work and wished her to stop writing. This criticism only encouraged Forugh to continue writing.
In her afterward, Darznik writes that when her family fled Iran in 1978, her mother smuggled out two volumes of Forugh's poetry. Seeing this poetry as a child led to Darznik's fascination with the poetess later in life, which eventually lead to her research for this book. She includes translated poems throughout the text including the title poem Song of a Captive Bird. I found the poetry to be more mature than the prose, but felt that the prose flowed well for a debut novel. I myself grew fascinated with Forugh Farrokhzad's life and would be intrigued to read some of her poetry past the selections featured in this novel. Combined with the sensory stimulating cover and feminist poetry, Darznik shows promise as a continuing novelist, and I would look forward to reading her future novels.
Breakdown:
4.5 story
3 writing
4 poetry
3.5 overall
March 1, 2022
2021 F.A.B. Bookclub pick # I.❤️. F.A.B.
A book of emotional torture, experienced during a time when women’s rights were non-existent, in a country that still has a tendency to shame women- that was a lot, right?! 😵🤭 That’s this book… poetry, love, abuse, desire, heartbreak, life, death- a rebel- an Iranian woman who lived an ambitious life. Definitely worth the read! 👍❤️📚
A book of emotional torture, experienced during a time when women’s rights were non-existent, in a country that still has a tendency to shame women- that was a lot, right?! 😵🤭 That’s this book… poetry, love, abuse, desire, heartbreak, life, death- a rebel- an Iranian woman who lived an ambitious life. Definitely worth the read! 👍❤️📚
February 19, 2018
Audiobook....narrated by Mozhan Marno 5++++stars!!!!!
LOVED IT!
ABSOLUTELY MESMERIZING!!!
GORGEOUS PROSE!!!
BEAUTIFUL NOVEL!!! ......Historical Fiction doesn’t get much better!!!
......this is a fascinating story about a powerhouse Iranian woman - poet and filmmaker - who died much too young.
Author Jasmin Darznik’s impeccable research shows...its ‘clear’ the work she put into this novel. History in Iran came alive.....before and after the revolution - Poety- literature - history-politics - Philosophy- abuse- dialogue- the oppression- the setting - the flowers in the gardens - the characters —- EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS NOVEL HAS VIBRANCY!!!
Forugh Farrokhzad was a disappointment to her mother....
.....a disappointment to her father
.....a disappointment to her husband
.....a disappointment to her mother-in-law
.....her controversial poetry became the center of negativity. More disapproval.
.....Forugh fought her entire life for justice - self expression - human rights - dignity - and respect.
Being a disappointment in the eyes of those around you - closest to you - people who are suppose to love you - time and time again - has got to be debilitating, exhausting, devastating, and forever lonely. Yet this woman kept getting right back up every time she was pushed down. The title of this book couldn’t be any more perfect.
I felt empathy and admiration for Forugh. She wasn’t a woman to silence. She knew men had the freedom to express love....yet women were suppose to be modest, and quiet. In an oppressive society for women - being a bright liberated female took an ‘enormous’ amount of courage.
FORUGH was daring - brave - courageous - referred to as a poetess- who wanted to be known as a POET!!
There are specific brutal details you’ll read in these pages that are GUT WRENCHING.....
REALLY could make you physically sick and angry. ——
I have ‘my’ memories of Iran from when I visited in 1973...(Those were the good days)....and I thought OMG back ‘then’. I had no idea how much ‘more’ oppressive the country was about to come shorty after I left.
I can’t recommend this book high enough ——-AND THE AUDIOBOOK— ‘PERFECT’!
Held my interest completely!!!
LOVED IT!
ABSOLUTELY MESMERIZING!!!
GORGEOUS PROSE!!!
BEAUTIFUL NOVEL!!! ......Historical Fiction doesn’t get much better!!!
......this is a fascinating story about a powerhouse Iranian woman - poet and filmmaker - who died much too young.
Author Jasmin Darznik’s impeccable research shows...its ‘clear’ the work she put into this novel. History in Iran came alive.....before and after the revolution - Poety- literature - history-politics - Philosophy- abuse- dialogue- the oppression- the setting - the flowers in the gardens - the characters —- EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS NOVEL HAS VIBRANCY!!!
Forugh Farrokhzad was a disappointment to her mother....
.....a disappointment to her father
.....a disappointment to her husband
.....a disappointment to her mother-in-law
.....her controversial poetry became the center of negativity. More disapproval.
.....Forugh fought her entire life for justice - self expression - human rights - dignity - and respect.
Being a disappointment in the eyes of those around you - closest to you - people who are suppose to love you - time and time again - has got to be debilitating, exhausting, devastating, and forever lonely. Yet this woman kept getting right back up every time she was pushed down. The title of this book couldn’t be any more perfect.
I felt empathy and admiration for Forugh. She wasn’t a woman to silence. She knew men had the freedom to express love....yet women were suppose to be modest, and quiet. In an oppressive society for women - being a bright liberated female took an ‘enormous’ amount of courage.
FORUGH was daring - brave - courageous - referred to as a poetess- who wanted to be known as a POET!!
There are specific brutal details you’ll read in these pages that are GUT WRENCHING.....
REALLY could make you physically sick and angry. ——
I have ‘my’ memories of Iran from when I visited in 1973...(Those were the good days)....and I thought OMG back ‘then’. I had no idea how much ‘more’ oppressive the country was about to come shorty after I left.
I can’t recommend this book high enough ——-AND THE AUDIOBOOK— ‘PERFECT’!
Held my interest completely!!!
August 28, 2020
5 brilliant masterpiece stars to Song of a Captive Bird! 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
Happy Publication Week to Song of a Captive Bird - available now!
The author of Song of a Captive Bird, Jasmin Darznik, is an Iranian-American whose family fled Iran prior to the revolution. Darznik is now a literature professor and spent years researching Forugh’s life. Everything about this book is immaculate. The smooth writing, the on point characterization, the research; it’s all top shelf. Iran in the 1950s and 60s came to life for me; gorgeous settings, interesting culture, and captivating people.
Forugh’s story, her life, left an indelible mark on me. Starting with her childhood, we learn that Forugh was expected to be quiet and modest; however, she questioned authority, social mores, the status of women, the roles of women, all starting at a young age. Each time she embraced a challenge head-on, she was pushed back, pushed down, even held captive; but every single time, she rose again.
In my lifetime, I’m not sure I’ve heard of a female poet being less than and referred to as a poetess? That was the life and time that Forugh lived in. Her biggest wish was to be referred to simply as a “poet.” Forugh was creative, resilient, vibrant, and vital in pushing forward women’s rights and human rights in her country. Song of a Captive Bird is the perfect title for this book in multiple ways. Oh what an alluring voice Forugh had to share with the world!
Historical fiction fans, Song of a Captive Bird gets my highest recommendation!
Thank you to Jasmin Darznik, the most generous Random House/Ballantine, and Netgalley for the complimentary copy.
Happy Publication Week to Song of a Captive Bird - available now!
The author of Song of a Captive Bird, Jasmin Darznik, is an Iranian-American whose family fled Iran prior to the revolution. Darznik is now a literature professor and spent years researching Forugh’s life. Everything about this book is immaculate. The smooth writing, the on point characterization, the research; it’s all top shelf. Iran in the 1950s and 60s came to life for me; gorgeous settings, interesting culture, and captivating people.
Forugh’s story, her life, left an indelible mark on me. Starting with her childhood, we learn that Forugh was expected to be quiet and modest; however, she questioned authority, social mores, the status of women, the roles of women, all starting at a young age. Each time she embraced a challenge head-on, she was pushed back, pushed down, even held captive; but every single time, she rose again.
In my lifetime, I’m not sure I’ve heard of a female poet being less than and referred to as a poetess? That was the life and time that Forugh lived in. Her biggest wish was to be referred to simply as a “poet.” Forugh was creative, resilient, vibrant, and vital in pushing forward women’s rights and human rights in her country. Song of a Captive Bird is the perfect title for this book in multiple ways. Oh what an alluring voice Forugh had to share with the world!
Historical fiction fans, Song of a Captive Bird gets my highest recommendation!
Thank you to Jasmin Darznik, the most generous Random House/Ballantine, and Netgalley for the complimentary copy.
February 11, 2018
Iran in the mid 20th century was not a fun place to be a woman. A girl’s education stopped when she was fourteen. A lack of virginal blood on a wedding night could send a bride into banishment. And a girl was forbidden from being outside without a chaperone and it was frowned on for a married woman to be in public unattended. Everything revolves around a woman’s honor. “Mine was a country where they said a woman’s nature is riddled with sin, where they claimed that women’s voices had the power to drive men to lust and distract them from matters of both heaven and earth.”
Forugh Farroukhzad was a poet during this time and considered one of the first Iranian feminists. Poetry held a special place in Iran. Men would recite it over coffee at night and poets were held in high esteem. Well, male poets. “There was a strict division between a poet and a poetess. No matter how skillful her writing, a woman was invariably given the feminine moniker.” And that moniker was always defined as something less, something trite.
This fictional telling of her short life is a slow burn. Starting with her childhood, she takes up writing poetry to impress her father. Her mother is convinced she’s possessed by a jinn. Her marriage is a disaster and she rediscovers poetry. Her decisions give her the freedom to write but at a terrific cost.
Darznik does an amazing job telling the story. Never once did I feel I was hearing anything other than Forugh’s voice. I felt her fear, her despair and her anger.
This is a book that will make you angry. I mean really angry. Imagine being told you have to stop yourself from thinking, because it’s thinking that has made you insane. Even the so called “liberal” men sought to take advantage of her and screw her over.
As the book progresses it becomes more political concerning the regime.
This is a strong book, but a sad one. The addition of Forugh’s actual poetry was a huge plus. For anyone that appreciates historical fiction, I highly recommend this book.
My thanks to netgalley and Random House/Ballantine Books for an advance copy of this book.
Forugh Farroukhzad was a poet during this time and considered one of the first Iranian feminists. Poetry held a special place in Iran. Men would recite it over coffee at night and poets were held in high esteem. Well, male poets. “There was a strict division between a poet and a poetess. No matter how skillful her writing, a woman was invariably given the feminine moniker.” And that moniker was always defined as something less, something trite.
This fictional telling of her short life is a slow burn. Starting with her childhood, she takes up writing poetry to impress her father. Her mother is convinced she’s possessed by a jinn. Her marriage is a disaster and she rediscovers poetry. Her decisions give her the freedom to write but at a terrific cost.
Darznik does an amazing job telling the story. Never once did I feel I was hearing anything other than Forugh’s voice. I felt her fear, her despair and her anger.
This is a book that will make you angry. I mean really angry. Imagine being told you have to stop yourself from thinking, because it’s thinking that has made you insane. Even the so called “liberal” men sought to take advantage of her and screw her over.
As the book progresses it becomes more political concerning the regime.
This is a strong book, but a sad one. The addition of Forugh’s actual poetry was a huge plus. For anyone that appreciates historical fiction, I highly recommend this book.
My thanks to netgalley and Random House/Ballantine Books for an advance copy of this book.
September 23, 2025
زنانی را میشناسم که هنوز هولناکتر از آنچه در این کتاب آمده، زندگی میکنند...
April 24, 2019
“Song of a Captive Bird” is a novel inspired by the life and poetry of Forugh Farrokhzad, an iconoclastic Iranian poet and film director who died in 1967 at the age of 32. A controversial figure, Farrokhzad embodied a new feminism in Iran at a unique time when Western influence surged in Tehran and then ebbed during and after the Iranian Revolution.
Darznik takes what is known of Farrokhzad’s life story and embellishes upon those facts to create the narrative of a young woman determined to be free and, in today’s parlance, “live her best life,” free from society’s constraints and judgements. This attitude does not really fly in Iran, a country still caught between its past conventions and traditions and the modern world.
I enjoyed the story, although I always feel conflicted about these fictionalized accountings of real lives. Farrokhzad is long dead and much of what was known about her has been suppressed or erased. She is not able to speak for herself so it always creeps me out a little to know that my perception of her will always be colored by what I have read here. On the other hand, I had never heard of Farrokhzad before, so I am appreciative to discover a brave and pioneering woman I knew nothing about.
The writing here is good but not stellar - the story is simply told and the characters are not as fully developed as I would like. I’d rate this a 3.5 overall. I’m rounding it up because I appreciated the glimpse of 1940’s - 1960’s Iran and what it was like to grow up in that environment as a young woman hungering to express herself in a way that is not allowed.
Recommended to lovers of historical fiction with a feminist twist and tales of the Middle East.
Darznik takes what is known of Farrokhzad’s life story and embellishes upon those facts to create the narrative of a young woman determined to be free and, in today’s parlance, “live her best life,” free from society’s constraints and judgements. This attitude does not really fly in Iran, a country still caught between its past conventions and traditions and the modern world.
I enjoyed the story, although I always feel conflicted about these fictionalized accountings of real lives. Farrokhzad is long dead and much of what was known about her has been suppressed or erased. She is not able to speak for herself so it always creeps me out a little to know that my perception of her will always be colored by what I have read here. On the other hand, I had never heard of Farrokhzad before, so I am appreciative to discover a brave and pioneering woman I knew nothing about.
The writing here is good but not stellar - the story is simply told and the characters are not as fully developed as I would like. I’d rate this a 3.5 overall. I’m rounding it up because I appreciated the glimpse of 1940’s - 1960’s Iran and what it was like to grow up in that environment as a young woman hungering to express herself in a way that is not allowed.
Recommended to lovers of historical fiction with a feminist twist and tales of the Middle East.
December 16, 2017
4.5 stars.
Forugh Farrokhzad, known simply as Forugh, died in Iran 50 years ago aged 32. Her poetry was banned in Iran in 1979 and her grave is a place of pilgrimage still. At great personal cost, she broke down many barriers to pursue her art - cultural, social and structural. I had never heard of her and was attracted to the book mainly because I enjoy Middle Eastern writing. I don’t think I even realised that it was about a real person.
Jasmin Darznik inhabits Forugh’s life so convincingly that I often had to remind myself that I wasn’t reading an autobiography. By her own admission, she had to invent a great deal because, it is believed, Forugh’s family destroyed most of her personal papers after her death. Although she left Iran when she was 5, the author obviously has access to family and friends who can tell her what life was like during Forugh’s lifetime, ie 1935-1967. During this period, there was a lot of political turmoil in Iran and Forugh was often caught up in it. Her lifestyle was abhorrent to traditional Iranians and it wasn’t until she was in her 20s that she met likeminded people and saw a different side to life than the one in which she’d been trapped. A life that had more possibilities than restrictions. She was immensely brave, if sometimes naive, to make the decisions that she did and to risk so much.
Forugh was also a talented documentary maker. I watched some of her film about a colony of lepers, The House is Black, on YouTube and found it very moving. The author has interspersed the text with poems that she herself has translated. On occasions her choice was perfect. Forugh’s poetry is based on her life. I’ll finish with a particularly poignant poem on the loss of her son.
This is the last lullaby I’ll sing
at the foot of your cradle.
May my anguished cries
echo in the sky of your youth....
I’ve cast away from the shore of good name
and a stormy star flares in my heart.....
A day will come when your eyes
will smart at this painful song.
You’ll search for me in words
and tell yourself: my mother,
that’s who she was.
From “A Poem for You” (dedicated to my son, Kamyar, with hopes for the future)
If you read this book, you’ll understand the poignancy of this poem. A solid 4.5 stars from me.
With thanks to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine for a free review copy.
Forugh Farrokhzad, known simply as Forugh, died in Iran 50 years ago aged 32. Her poetry was banned in Iran in 1979 and her grave is a place of pilgrimage still. At great personal cost, she broke down many barriers to pursue her art - cultural, social and structural. I had never heard of her and was attracted to the book mainly because I enjoy Middle Eastern writing. I don’t think I even realised that it was about a real person.
Jasmin Darznik inhabits Forugh’s life so convincingly that I often had to remind myself that I wasn’t reading an autobiography. By her own admission, she had to invent a great deal because, it is believed, Forugh’s family destroyed most of her personal papers after her death. Although she left Iran when she was 5, the author obviously has access to family and friends who can tell her what life was like during Forugh’s lifetime, ie 1935-1967. During this period, there was a lot of political turmoil in Iran and Forugh was often caught up in it. Her lifestyle was abhorrent to traditional Iranians and it wasn’t until she was in her 20s that she met likeminded people and saw a different side to life than the one in which she’d been trapped. A life that had more possibilities than restrictions. She was immensely brave, if sometimes naive, to make the decisions that she did and to risk so much.
Forugh was also a talented documentary maker. I watched some of her film about a colony of lepers, The House is Black, on YouTube and found it very moving. The author has interspersed the text with poems that she herself has translated. On occasions her choice was perfect. Forugh’s poetry is based on her life. I’ll finish with a particularly poignant poem on the loss of her son.
This is the last lullaby I’ll sing
at the foot of your cradle.
May my anguished cries
echo in the sky of your youth....
I’ve cast away from the shore of good name
and a stormy star flares in my heart.....
A day will come when your eyes
will smart at this painful song.
You’ll search for me in words
and tell yourself: my mother,
that’s who she was.
From “A Poem for You” (dedicated to my son, Kamyar, with hopes for the future)
If you read this book, you’ll understand the poignancy of this poem. A solid 4.5 stars from me.
With thanks to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine for a free review copy.
January 27, 2025
ترانه مرغ اسیر،نوشتهی جازمین دارزنیک متولد ایرانی ولی در سن پنج سالگی به آمریکا مهاجرت کرده است.
نویسنده در این کتاب زندگی فروغ فرخزاد از نوجوانی تا مرگش را روایت میکند.
البته گفته میشود از زندگی فروغ فرخزاد الهام گرفته شده و بعضی از اتفاقات درون کتاب از تخیل نویسنده برگرفته است.
کتاب در دوران پهلوی روایت میشود و نویسنده خیلی خوب تونسته عقاید اون موقع ها و آداب و رسوم مردم ایران را خیلی دقیق به تصویر بکشد.
بااینکه فروغ عمر بسیار کوتاهی داشت اما زندگی پرباری داشت و تقریبا دستاوردهای بزرگی را بدست آورد.
نویسنده در این کتاب زندگی فروغ فرخزاد از نوجوانی تا مرگش را روایت میکند.
البته گفته میشود از زندگی فروغ فرخزاد الهام گرفته شده و بعضی از اتفاقات درون کتاب از تخیل نویسنده برگرفته است.
کتاب در دوران پهلوی روایت میشود و نویسنده خیلی خوب تونسته عقاید اون موقع ها و آداب و رسوم مردم ایران را خیلی دقیق به تصویر بکشد.
بااینکه فروغ عمر بسیار کوتاهی داشت اما زندگی پرباری داشت و تقریبا دستاوردهای بزرگی را بدست آورد.
July 23, 2018
The beautiful cover of this powerful debut caught my eye and after perusing the summary on the book jacket I was compelled to read and recommend this to one of my book groups. We wanted to focus on strong women and Song of a Captive Bird by Jasmin Darznik fits the bill!
This story, based on the life of Forugh Farrokhzad, focuses on a young Iranian girl who as a child pushed the envelope when it came to respectable, traditional, female behavior. She had an interest in poetry, writing at eleven years old to get the attention of her strict father. She was lucky enough to find a friend she connected with who enjoyed the written word as well and she and this young boy secretly met and he exposed her to different writers, but the Iranian culture forbid them to socialize. Her parents locked her in small spaces as a punishment and due to her questionable behavior, they forced her to undergo a virginity test. At sixteen years old her father orchestrated an arranged marriage and the relationship suffered due to unsurmountable challenges. Forugh became a teenage mother, began a clandestine romantic relationship with a powerful man in the publishing business, ran away from her stifling marriage and toward freedom and self fulfillment.
Forugh’s passion was to write, and when her provocative, expressive poetry was published, scandalous and smart written words by a woman… it caused a huge uproar. Her marriage had been damaged beyond repair, her parental rights were impacted, her love affair was not all she had hoped it would be, but her quest for independence and creative freedom remained her priority as she changed the world of poetry in Iran and became an icon for feminism.
The title, Song of a Captive Bird, refers to Forugh; her poetry is her song and she endures feelings of being trapped by society and the rules preventing women to express themselves, as well as her marriage, relationship with her parents and her lovers, during the 1970s political resistance leading up to the revolution. But in some ways all the characters are like captive birds, trying to conform to societal rules in a suppressed society and being challenged by each other, yet also finding comfort in the confines of what is acceptable. Forugh gave up her marriage and family to find success as a poet, because in Iran she could not have it all.
I loved this book along with all the others in my book group. Forugh was a strong, feisty woman living in the 1970s in Iran who was determined to share her creativity with the world, despite the backlash and outrage her poetry stirred up. Although throughout her short life she she didn’t conform to rules for females, cooking and motherhood were not her strong suits, she endured some horrible psychological and physical tortures, suffered unbearable heartbreaks, and many aspects of her life seemed like colossal failures, Forugh persevered and set the bar high when it came to freedom of expression, independence and rights for women.
This book is historical fiction based on the incredible poetry and varied life experiences of controversial poet Forugh Farrokhzad whose life tragically ended at age 32. Author Jasmin Darznik draws you in from the very beginning and consistently shocks and amazes you with details of this extraordinary woman’s life, giving you incentive to do some googling! Fantastic debut novel!
Follow me on https://booknationbyjen.wordpress.com for all reviews and recommendations.
This story, based on the life of Forugh Farrokhzad, focuses on a young Iranian girl who as a child pushed the envelope when it came to respectable, traditional, female behavior. She had an interest in poetry, writing at eleven years old to get the attention of her strict father. She was lucky enough to find a friend she connected with who enjoyed the written word as well and she and this young boy secretly met and he exposed her to different writers, but the Iranian culture forbid them to socialize. Her parents locked her in small spaces as a punishment and due to her questionable behavior, they forced her to undergo a virginity test. At sixteen years old her father orchestrated an arranged marriage and the relationship suffered due to unsurmountable challenges. Forugh became a teenage mother, began a clandestine romantic relationship with a powerful man in the publishing business, ran away from her stifling marriage and toward freedom and self fulfillment.
Forugh’s passion was to write, and when her provocative, expressive poetry was published, scandalous and smart written words by a woman… it caused a huge uproar. Her marriage had been damaged beyond repair, her parental rights were impacted, her love affair was not all she had hoped it would be, but her quest for independence and creative freedom remained her priority as she changed the world of poetry in Iran and became an icon for feminism.
The title, Song of a Captive Bird, refers to Forugh; her poetry is her song and she endures feelings of being trapped by society and the rules preventing women to express themselves, as well as her marriage, relationship with her parents and her lovers, during the 1970s political resistance leading up to the revolution. But in some ways all the characters are like captive birds, trying to conform to societal rules in a suppressed society and being challenged by each other, yet also finding comfort in the confines of what is acceptable. Forugh gave up her marriage and family to find success as a poet, because in Iran she could not have it all.
I loved this book along with all the others in my book group. Forugh was a strong, feisty woman living in the 1970s in Iran who was determined to share her creativity with the world, despite the backlash and outrage her poetry stirred up. Although throughout her short life she she didn’t conform to rules for females, cooking and motherhood were not her strong suits, she endured some horrible psychological and physical tortures, suffered unbearable heartbreaks, and many aspects of her life seemed like colossal failures, Forugh persevered and set the bar high when it came to freedom of expression, independence and rights for women.
This book is historical fiction based on the incredible poetry and varied life experiences of controversial poet Forugh Farrokhzad whose life tragically ended at age 32. Author Jasmin Darznik draws you in from the very beginning and consistently shocks and amazes you with details of this extraordinary woman’s life, giving you incentive to do some googling! Fantastic debut novel!
Follow me on https://booknationbyjen.wordpress.com for all reviews and recommendations.
January 16, 2018
3.5 stars
In Song of a Captive Bird (a beautiful and perfect title), author Jasmin Darznik is the voice for Iranian poet, Forugh Farrokhzad. Forugh - an influential poet of the 20th century - was notorious for rebelling against cultural norms, especially in her work.
Forugh's accomplishments come at the expense of her reputation and family life. In her thirty-two years she has been through so much pain; all she wanted was to be loved for who she was. Darznik captures that and uses her own words to bring that love to Forugh.
For more of my review visit: https://saturdaynitereader.com/2018/0...
The book is inspired by Forugh's story and a work of fiction. But, it was written in first person which was interesting to me: I often felt as if I was reading a memoir and had to remind myself that certain story lines and characters may not have been true.
It took me a bit longer than my regular reading pace as I had a bit of a slow start, but I wanted to know more of Forugh's story and kept going: I felt like I owed it to her to keep reading on.
“Remember the flight, for the bird is mortal.”—Forugh Farrokhzad
July 25, 2025
"من زن بودم و همه شان میخواستند ساکت نگهم دارند و لبهایم را بدوزند و نفس را در سینه ام خفه کنند. ولی من نمیخواستم ساکت باشم قراری هم با کسی نبسته بودم که بیرق شرم و حیا و نیکی به دست بگیرم.
نه، من یک زن بودم و نمیخواستم با صدای یک مرد حرف بزنم چون صدای من نبود. دروغین بود و به من تعلق نداشت. ولی آنچه من میکردم ورای این حرفها بود میخواستم با زنانه نوشتنم به همه بگویم که زن هم انسان است.
او هم حق دارد نفس بکشد که فریاد کند، که آواز بخواند."
نه، من یک زن بودم و نمیخواستم با صدای یک مرد حرف بزنم چون صدای من نبود. دروغین بود و به من تعلق نداشت. ولی آنچه من میکردم ورای این حرفها بود میخواستم با زنانه نوشتنم به همه بگویم که زن هم انسان است.
او هم حق دارد نفس بکشد که فریاد کند، که آواز بخواند."
May 9, 2018
A mesmerizing story of a brave woman seeking the freedom and independence to write heartfelt and brilliant poetry
SUMMARY
Song of a Captive Bird is a fictional account of Iran’s most infamous and iconic woman poet, Forugh Farrokhzad. She was a literary sensation, and acclaimed filmmaker, who was both loved and hated within her country. A country she loved and would never leave. The book follows her turbulent life, from her controlled and abusive childhood, though her oppressive teenage marriage, the birth of her son, her passionate literary career, her affairs of the heart and her death in a car crash in 1967. Forugh came of age in the 1940’s and 1950’s, at a time of upheaval in Iranian history.
The novels opens one morning, with her mother forcing a bruised and battered Forugh to a clinic in the poorest and dirtiest district of Tehran, the bottom of the city, for a virginity test. It’s an experience which leaves the sixteen-year-old Forugh shaken and forever changed. ‘It was the end of her girlhood and the true beginning of her life’. She begins writing poetry to capture her father’s attention, who at first is amused by his daughters efforts. But as Forugh continues writing her black-eyed father withdraws his support, and he marries her off to Parviz, who rejects her on their wedding night. She is unhappy in the marriage, and in living under the roof of her domineering mother-in-law. Shortly after her son is born she sneaks back to Tehran in an naive effort to have her sensuous poetry published. Her first poem “Sin” is published under her own name, which set off an avalanche of life altering events.
“When I left my father and then my husband I lost my name and I was no one. But there was freedom in this, to be a woman on my own, it made me strong and it made me the poet I wanted to be. I knew many poets whose lives have nothing to do with their poetry. They were only poets when they sat down to write. They would finish a poem and then turn back into greedy, shortsighted, miserable, envious people. Well I could never believe in their poetry because I could never believe in them.”
REVIEW
Forugh’s character was so well-developed that you can’t help but have empathy for her. You could feel the pain from her father’s kicks, you can feel her dank and sweaty sheets in the hospital, and you could feel her heart racing as she ran from the machine gun spray. This story of Forugh’s quest for independence is both breathtaking and admirable. The writing is beautifully lyrical and captivatingly descriptive. It is a breathless ride that skillfully transports us not only through the story, but specifically to that time in history, and to a house in Tehran with a garden full of lush roses, jasmine, honeysuckle, and dahlia blossoms.
Lovers of feminist, literary and historical fiction will appreciate this book about a female poet whose name in Persian means ‘eternal light.’ The author, Jasmin Darznik used Forugh’s poetry, letters and films to create this powerful fictional account of a rebellious but brave woman. Darznik is a professor of English and creative writing at California College of the Arts. She came to America from Iran in 1978 when she was three years old. She is also the author of The Good Daughter: A Memoir of My Mother’s Hidden Life. Publisher Ballantine. Publication Date February 13, 2018.
“ Remember its flight, for the bird is mortal.” Forugh Farrokhazd
SUMMARY
Song of a Captive Bird is a fictional account of Iran’s most infamous and iconic woman poet, Forugh Farrokhzad. She was a literary sensation, and acclaimed filmmaker, who was both loved and hated within her country. A country she loved and would never leave. The book follows her turbulent life, from her controlled and abusive childhood, though her oppressive teenage marriage, the birth of her son, her passionate literary career, her affairs of the heart and her death in a car crash in 1967. Forugh came of age in the 1940’s and 1950’s, at a time of upheaval in Iranian history.
The novels opens one morning, with her mother forcing a bruised and battered Forugh to a clinic in the poorest and dirtiest district of Tehran, the bottom of the city, for a virginity test. It’s an experience which leaves the sixteen-year-old Forugh shaken and forever changed. ‘It was the end of her girlhood and the true beginning of her life’. She begins writing poetry to capture her father’s attention, who at first is amused by his daughters efforts. But as Forugh continues writing her black-eyed father withdraws his support, and he marries her off to Parviz, who rejects her on their wedding night. She is unhappy in the marriage, and in living under the roof of her domineering mother-in-law. Shortly after her son is born she sneaks back to Tehran in an naive effort to have her sensuous poetry published. Her first poem “Sin” is published under her own name, which set off an avalanche of life altering events.
“When I left my father and then my husband I lost my name and I was no one. But there was freedom in this, to be a woman on my own, it made me strong and it made me the poet I wanted to be. I knew many poets whose lives have nothing to do with their poetry. They were only poets when they sat down to write. They would finish a poem and then turn back into greedy, shortsighted, miserable, envious people. Well I could never believe in their poetry because I could never believe in them.”
REVIEW
Forugh’s character was so well-developed that you can’t help but have empathy for her. You could feel the pain from her father’s kicks, you can feel her dank and sweaty sheets in the hospital, and you could feel her heart racing as she ran from the machine gun spray. This story of Forugh’s quest for independence is both breathtaking and admirable. The writing is beautifully lyrical and captivatingly descriptive. It is a breathless ride that skillfully transports us not only through the story, but specifically to that time in history, and to a house in Tehran with a garden full of lush roses, jasmine, honeysuckle, and dahlia blossoms.
Lovers of feminist, literary and historical fiction will appreciate this book about a female poet whose name in Persian means ‘eternal light.’ The author, Jasmin Darznik used Forugh’s poetry, letters and films to create this powerful fictional account of a rebellious but brave woman. Darznik is a professor of English and creative writing at California College of the Arts. She came to America from Iran in 1978 when she was three years old. She is also the author of The Good Daughter: A Memoir of My Mother’s Hidden Life. Publisher Ballantine. Publication Date February 13, 2018.
“ Remember its flight, for the bird is mortal.” Forugh Farrokhazd
June 11, 2018
"...it was my preference for books and the world inside my head that left me so incapable of accepting the usual and the ordinary. The more I read, the more I longed to let lose the words inside me."
Forugh Farrokzhad is the one of the daughters of Colonel Farrokzhad. Expected to be meek and quiet, devoid of any disobedience, Forugh is the complete opposite. Not wanting the traditional life of a woman in Tehran, Forugh is vocal in her rebellion but it comes at a cost. Married off early to avoid bringing shame to her family does not deter Forugh from wanting to write. When an opportunity arises for Forugh to have her work published, she goes ahead not measuring the possible consequences. Still that first poem would take Forugh into a life of her own design.
Having learned of this work a few months back, I became hoooked first through the cover. The narrative underneath it is powerful. Part biographical, this work follows the Iranian poet Forugh Farrokhzhad. Being born in a culture where women were seen but not heard, Forugh broke the mold. Growing up Forugh always questioned why her brothers had complete freedom while she had to stay inside. Her acts of rebellion were meet with anger and and disdain by her parents. But no punishment could quell her fire. Thinking marriage would tame their daughter, Forugh was married off. I have to admit that poetry is not one of my interests and prior to reading this book, I had no knowledge of Forugh. The prose was very well written. The pace slowly building the life of a remarkable woman. Jasmin Darznik presents an honest and raw portrayal of a woman that was as controversial as she was defamed but ultimately was courageous and truthful. It can not be a coincidence that Forugh was born in a time of turmoil and that certain events line up with her story. The narrative shone a light on Iran while presenting a captivating insight into the life of Forugh.
Darznik tells in the afterward that the inspiration for the book came from a book of poetry by Forugh Farrokhzhad that her parents brought with them when they fled Iran. Wondering how such a book would warrant the honor of being saved, Darznik spent years studying this now iconic poet. Forugh Farrokhzhad was a modern woman in every sense. Questioning authority from an early age, she defied society by, both, writing and publishing her poems. Of a very honest nature, her poetry was described as immoral, incendiary and rebellious. 'Sin', her first poem earned her the label of a disreputable and dishonorable woman. For many years, her books were banned but Forugh was an advocate for women through and through. Her words were always truthful and her courage, while tested, did not wane. In addition to successful books of poetry, Forugh also directed a short documentary about a leper colony in Iran titled 'The House is Balck'. She ended up adopting a child of leper couple. Initially it did not make much of an impact but has since garnered international attention. Her life was short but her influence has remained. I am glad I came across this book. Would definetely recommend.
Forugh Farrokzhad is the one of the daughters of Colonel Farrokzhad. Expected to be meek and quiet, devoid of any disobedience, Forugh is the complete opposite. Not wanting the traditional life of a woman in Tehran, Forugh is vocal in her rebellion but it comes at a cost. Married off early to avoid bringing shame to her family does not deter Forugh from wanting to write. When an opportunity arises for Forugh to have her work published, she goes ahead not measuring the possible consequences. Still that first poem would take Forugh into a life of her own design.
Having learned of this work a few months back, I became hoooked first through the cover. The narrative underneath it is powerful. Part biographical, this work follows the Iranian poet Forugh Farrokhzhad. Being born in a culture where women were seen but not heard, Forugh broke the mold. Growing up Forugh always questioned why her brothers had complete freedom while she had to stay inside. Her acts of rebellion were meet with anger and and disdain by her parents. But no punishment could quell her fire. Thinking marriage would tame their daughter, Forugh was married off. I have to admit that poetry is not one of my interests and prior to reading this book, I had no knowledge of Forugh. The prose was very well written. The pace slowly building the life of a remarkable woman. Jasmin Darznik presents an honest and raw portrayal of a woman that was as controversial as she was defamed but ultimately was courageous and truthful. It can not be a coincidence that Forugh was born in a time of turmoil and that certain events line up with her story. The narrative shone a light on Iran while presenting a captivating insight into the life of Forugh.
Darznik tells in the afterward that the inspiration for the book came from a book of poetry by Forugh Farrokhzhad that her parents brought with them when they fled Iran. Wondering how such a book would warrant the honor of being saved, Darznik spent years studying this now iconic poet. Forugh Farrokhzhad was a modern woman in every sense. Questioning authority from an early age, she defied society by, both, writing and publishing her poems. Of a very honest nature, her poetry was described as immoral, incendiary and rebellious. 'Sin', her first poem earned her the label of a disreputable and dishonorable woman. For many years, her books were banned but Forugh was an advocate for women through and through. Her words were always truthful and her courage, while tested, did not wane. In addition to successful books of poetry, Forugh also directed a short documentary about a leper colony in Iran titled 'The House is Balck'. She ended up adopting a child of leper couple. Initially it did not make much of an impact but has since garnered international attention. Her life was short but her influence has remained. I am glad I came across this book. Would definetely recommend.
August 12, 2025
سر این کتاب افکار متناقضی دارم.
اگر بخوام به این کتاب به عنوان زندگینامه فروغ فروخزاد نگاه کنم که همین امشب میرم تکتک نسخههای چاپ شدهش رو آتیش میزنم =))
ولی اگر به عنوان یه کتاب مستقل بهش نگاه کنم، بله واقعا میتونه کتاب خوبی باشه.
من اصلا این حرکت رو درک نمیکنم که یه آدم رندوم بیاد براساس زندگی یک نفر دیگه کتاب بنویسه. پیش از این هم "الیف شافاک" همین گند رو با کتاب "ملت عشق" زده بود🤡 این کار حتی به نیت خوب هم پذیرفته نیست و به نظرم صرفا نردبون ساختن برای شهرت و دیده شدنه.
یه آدم دورگهای که از 5 سالگی ایران رو ترک کرده و مهاجرت کرده، میاد بر اساس اخبار و تخیلات خودش از یک شاعر بزرگ زن ایرانی توی برههی مهمی از تاریخ ایران یک داستان بدون رفرنس مینویسه و تصویر گاها نادرستی رو به مخاطب نشون میده. من اطلاعات دقیقی ندارم و قطعا و حتما هیچکس دیگری جز خود فروغ نمیتونه آنچه که زیسته رو روایت کنه ولی غلط بودن بعضی اتفاقات و دیدگاهها کاملا واضح بود.
خب حالا بیایم به کتاب به عنوان یه رمان عادی با کرکترهای ساختهی ذهن نویسنده نگاه کنیم.
نقطه قوت داستان در این بود که نویسنده تا حد زیادی تونسته محدودیتها و نگاههای جنسیتزده و تحقیرشدنهای زن ایرانی رو نشون بده. اون فضای مردسالاری و مذهبی جامعه و سختیهایی که یک زن ایرانی برای رهایی از زندان خانه، خانواده، سنت، حرف مردم و چارچوبهایی که تحت تعاریفی مثل حجب و حیا تعیین شده باید متحمل بشه به خوبی نشون داده شده بود.
من مدام به مسیری که زن ایرانی تا به امروز اومده نگاه میکنم.
به شجاعت و قدرت و ارادهی شخصیت اصلی کتاب افتخار میکردم. به اینکه توی چنین شرایط و میون افکار پوسیده تونست همچنان ادامه بده و راه خودش رو پیدا کنه.
اگر بخوام به این کتاب به عنوان زندگینامه فروغ فروخزاد نگاه کنم که همین امشب میرم تکتک نسخههای چاپ شدهش رو آتیش میزنم =))
ولی اگر به عنوان یه کتاب مستقل بهش نگاه کنم، بله واقعا میتونه کتاب خوبی باشه.
من اصلا این حرکت رو درک نمیکنم که یه آدم رندوم بیاد براساس زندگی یک نفر دیگه کتاب بنویسه. پیش از این هم "الیف شافاک" همین گند رو با کتاب "ملت عشق" زده بود🤡 این کار حتی به نیت خوب هم پذیرفته نیست و به نظرم صرفا نردبون ساختن برای شهرت و دیده شدنه.
یه آدم دورگهای که از 5 سالگی ایران رو ترک کرده و مهاجرت کرده، میاد بر اساس اخبار و تخیلات خودش از یک شاعر بزرگ زن ایرانی توی برههی مهمی از تاریخ ایران یک داستان بدون رفرنس مینویسه و تصویر گاها نادرستی رو به مخاطب نشون میده. من اطلاعات دقیقی ندارم و قطعا و حتما هیچکس دیگری جز خود فروغ نمیتونه آنچه که زیسته رو روایت کنه ولی غلط بودن بعضی اتفاقات و دیدگاهها کاملا واضح بود.
خب حالا بیایم به کتاب به عنوان یه رمان عادی با کرکترهای ساختهی ذهن نویسنده نگاه کنیم.
نقطه قوت داستان در این بود که نویسنده تا حد زیادی تونسته محدودیتها و نگاههای جنسیتزده و تحقیرشدنهای زن ایرانی رو نشون بده. اون فضای مردسالاری و مذهبی جامعه و سختیهایی که یک زن ایرانی برای رهایی از زندان خانه، خانواده، سنت، حرف مردم و چارچوبهایی که تحت تعاریفی مثل حجب و حیا تعیین شده باید متحمل بشه به خوبی نشون داده شده بود.
من مدام به مسیری که زن ایرانی تا به امروز اومده نگاه میکنم.
به شجاعت و قدرت و ارادهی شخصیت اصلی کتاب افتخار میکردم. به اینکه توی چنین شرایط و میون افکار پوسیده تونست همچنان ادامه بده و راه خودش رو پیدا کنه.
November 9, 2020
The style of writing is telling and not showing. I struggled to get engaged in this story. There are others who appreciate this style of writing and they will reveal veracious reviews.
January 3, 2019
4.5 stars Very well done biographical novel, depicting Iran’s most infamous/revered female poetess and the upheaval of regimes. The American interference in Iran’s economy, and its influence as well as the tide of rebellion for independence against colonialism is a facet of their history of which I was sorely ignorant. Although a novel, the book seemed almost to be nonfiction, which is a testament to the careful research and very well developed characters.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
October 27, 2017
I'd like to thank Jasmin Darznik for her honest description of an Iran we do not often hear about, the Shah's modern Iran. It's restrictions, brutality.
Forough Farrokhsad grew up in the Shah's Iran. One can only imagine the courage it took Forough to follow her calling, writing poems, poems that read like a story. Her courage to express herself as a woman, feelings we women experience along our lives.
To understand her determination not to be silenced, one has to understand "modern" Iran. Women were expected to stay at home, silent. To express an opinion was not tolerated, and punished.
This is a book which needs to be read widely, by women and men.
Even today many of my Iranian friends deny the Shah's regime's brutality, yet thousands left Iran. This speaks volumes on the Shah's regime.
Forough pushed herself through all the barriers never holding back her truth...she passed away at 32 killed in a car accident.
I will add pictures, poems by Farough an book titles to her poems which are sold today around the world when this book is published.
This beautiful book will be sold at book stores February 13, 2018
P.S.
Although the Shah's regime was brutal, the revolution against the Shah in 1979 ushered in an even harsher regime run by Islam.
Forough Farrokhsad grew up in the Shah's Iran. One can only imagine the courage it took Forough to follow her calling, writing poems, poems that read like a story. Her courage to express herself as a woman, feelings we women experience along our lives.
To understand her determination not to be silenced, one has to understand "modern" Iran. Women were expected to stay at home, silent. To express an opinion was not tolerated, and punished.
This is a book which needs to be read widely, by women and men.
Even today many of my Iranian friends deny the Shah's regime's brutality, yet thousands left Iran. This speaks volumes on the Shah's regime.
Forough pushed herself through all the barriers never holding back her truth...she passed away at 32 killed in a car accident.
I will add pictures, poems by Farough an book titles to her poems which are sold today around the world when this book is published.
This beautiful book will be sold at book stores February 13, 2018
P.S.
Although the Shah's regime was brutal, the revolution against the Shah in 1979 ushered in an even harsher regime run by Islam.
February 13, 2018
I absolutely adored this book and even though it’s 416 pages, I finished it in a day and a half. The story follows loosely the real life of an Iranian poet named Forough Farrokhzad. She was a rebel in a world where women weren’t allowed to be rebellious. She was the embodiment of liberal thought living amongst people who would prefer women to raise families and be obedient. She had a voice in a place where women were told to remain silent.
I didn’t know much about her and if you try to Google Forough Farrokhzad, there really isn’t much about her there either. Jasmin Darznik believed the only way to tell the story of this famous female poet was through fiction. By adapting her voice and her thoughts, Darznik was able to bring to life a person who’s very own tragically ended too soon.
In the author’s notes (which I strongly encourage you to read), Darznik explains her process and how fiction felt like the only way to tell this story. I couldn’t agree with her more and even though there are some events that are completely fictionalized, you can’t tell where the line crosses. You don’t care if the line crosses because even if it isn’t real, it felt real. Even if what Forough went through didn’t happen, you can see it happening for thousands of women living in Iran during this time period.
I had to repeatedly remind myself that this is fiction. This is loosely based on her life and the history of Iran during the 1950s and 1960s. This had some factual evidence, but for the most part, it wasn’t real. But it read so real. Using the first person POV, I feel like Darznik was able to embody Forough for little bit and I was able to hear her story told to me first hand. Even though I was reading words, I felt like I was listening to a story. I sat with my hands grasped at my mouth happy and sad and angry and relieved and eventually heartbroken by the story being told.
This book does carry a lot of triggers. There’s a lot of pain and suffering. Even though Forough was considered one of Iranian’s best poets, she had her fair share of tough times. But her strength felt like a solider who kept on fighting. Her poetry was her weapon and the words were her cunning blows. There were parts that made me want to cry while I read about Forough’s lust for freedom. I shook my fists when she was brutally beaten by her own father and when she was forced into an insane asylum. I raged at how women were treated in Iran through the vicarious point of view of our main character.
I can probably go on about how lovely the writing is here. Darznik is truly a gifted writer who is able to embody her characters. There were quotes for days in this book. If I could, I would highlight passages that resonated so much to me. The book also includes poems from Forough relating back to the passage you read. Reading her poetry alongside her story was so well thought out and structured. It was like you just witnessed genius happen in front of you. That might be an over-exaggerated statement, but I loved this book.
I’ve always been a believer that you can learn things from fiction. You can get caught up in facts and figures and analyze any text, but when you use fiction as your arsenal you can tap into the raw emotions and grab the reader in a different way. You get the perspective of a person or people from a source you can’t get from non-fiction or from the Internet. Forough’s life in this book is an example of that.
I didn’t know much about her and if you try to Google Forough Farrokhzad, there really isn’t much about her there either. Jasmin Darznik believed the only way to tell the story of this famous female poet was through fiction. By adapting her voice and her thoughts, Darznik was able to bring to life a person who’s very own tragically ended too soon.
In the author’s notes (which I strongly encourage you to read), Darznik explains her process and how fiction felt like the only way to tell this story. I couldn’t agree with her more and even though there are some events that are completely fictionalized, you can’t tell where the line crosses. You don’t care if the line crosses because even if it isn’t real, it felt real. Even if what Forough went through didn’t happen, you can see it happening for thousands of women living in Iran during this time period.
I had to repeatedly remind myself that this is fiction. This is loosely based on her life and the history of Iran during the 1950s and 1960s. This had some factual evidence, but for the most part, it wasn’t real. But it read so real. Using the first person POV, I feel like Darznik was able to embody Forough for little bit and I was able to hear her story told to me first hand. Even though I was reading words, I felt like I was listening to a story. I sat with my hands grasped at my mouth happy and sad and angry and relieved and eventually heartbroken by the story being told.
This book does carry a lot of triggers. There’s a lot of pain and suffering. Even though Forough was considered one of Iranian’s best poets, she had her fair share of tough times. But her strength felt like a solider who kept on fighting. Her poetry was her weapon and the words were her cunning blows. There were parts that made me want to cry while I read about Forough’s lust for freedom. I shook my fists when she was brutally beaten by her own father and when she was forced into an insane asylum. I raged at how women were treated in Iran through the vicarious point of view of our main character.
I can probably go on about how lovely the writing is here. Darznik is truly a gifted writer who is able to embody her characters. There were quotes for days in this book. If I could, I would highlight passages that resonated so much to me. The book also includes poems from Forough relating back to the passage you read. Reading her poetry alongside her story was so well thought out and structured. It was like you just witnessed genius happen in front of you. That might be an over-exaggerated statement, but I loved this book.
I’ve always been a believer that you can learn things from fiction. You can get caught up in facts and figures and analyze any text, but when you use fiction as your arsenal you can tap into the raw emotions and grab the reader in a different way. You get the perspective of a person or people from a source you can’t get from non-fiction or from the Internet. Forough’s life in this book is an example of that.
June 2, 2023
آه فروغ قشنگم فروغ بینوا...
اینکه این زندگینامه از قلم خود فروغ نبود خوب نبود-و کامل نبود، ولی اونقدر زیبا و کامل از زبون فروغ بیانش کرده بود که واقعا لذت بردم-هرچند که فکر کنم اگر صوتی گوش نمیدادمش کمتر لذت میبردم یا انقدر جذبش نمیشدم-
و بنظرم محتوای خوب و قویای هم براش رقم زده بود و به تمام مسائل اجتماعی و سیاسی و ایرانی به خوبی پرداخته بود.
ولی بنظرم حتما قبلش نامههای خود فروغ تو کتاب اولین تپشهای علشقانهی قلبم رو بخونین و از نزدیک روحیات خودشو لمس کنین.
اینکه این زندگینامه از قلم خود فروغ نبود خوب نبود-و کامل نبود، ولی اونقدر زیبا و کامل از زبون فروغ بیانش کرده بود که واقعا لذت بردم-هرچند که فکر کنم اگر صوتی گوش نمیدادمش کمتر لذت میبردم یا انقدر جذبش نمیشدم-
و بنظرم محتوای خوب و قویای هم براش رقم زده بود و به تمام مسائل اجتماعی و سیاسی و ایرانی به خوبی پرداخته بود.
ولی بنظرم حتما قبلش نامههای خود فروغ تو کتاب اولین تپشهای علشقانهی قلبم رو بخونین و از نزدیک روحیات خودشو لمس کنین.
June 1, 2018
Overall I enjoyed this story. I had to keep reminding myself that this was not an autobiography, it had that feel and I think it worked well. I really like learning about new people I haven't heard of before and not being into poetry, I had never heard of Forugh but I'm likely to never forget her after reading this book. This hist fic story gives us a glimpse into her life and an impressive one for so short a time here. The author's notes in the end brought this one to a wonderful close and I think made me appreciate the story more so.
Thank you to Ballantine Books for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
ETA: 3.5 after a couple of weeks and more time to consider, I'm downgrading slightly to 3.5. Still a good book but not at my 4 star experience.
Thank you to Ballantine Books for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
ETA: 3.5 after a couple of weeks and more time to consider, I'm downgrading slightly to 3.5. Still a good book but not at my 4 star experience.
July 21, 2021
“I loved Tehran’s relentless sun and heavy dusks and dusty side streets. I loved sleeping on the rooftop on summer nights and waking to morning’s call to prayer. When I walked in the streets, there was a memory at every turn, a rootedness I felt in my limbs and my heart. Whatever Iran wanted to be, I loved it. I’d found my life’s purpose here. Every poem I’d ever written was entangled with my country’s story. I loved its downtrodden, small-minded, generous people. I loved them; I belonged to them. They were my people, and I was theirs.”
Historical fiction about the life of a real person, Iranian poetess and film director Forugh Farrokhzad. It portrays what life was like in Iran, especially for women, before the 1979 revolution that brought Ayatollah Khomeini to power. Set mostly in Tehran, it follows Forugh’s life – her rebellious nature, desire for self-expression, and the personal sacrifices she made in pursuit of art.
It is an excellent example of the use of fiction used to illuminate the past. This book gives the reader a vivid idea of Forugh’s personality – a woman of strong opinions, a risk-taker, and one who challenged the traditional views of a woman’s role. The writing is strong. The story is told in first person by Forugh, the only choice that does not quite work for me. The story portrays the complicated political climate in the 1960s during the last shah’s regime.
Darznik includes several of Forugh’s translated poems, which had been published then later banned in Iran. The author’s family left Iran in 1978, when Darznik was a child. I very much enjoyed this glimpse into Iranian culture and history.
4.5
Historical fiction about the life of a real person, Iranian poetess and film director Forugh Farrokhzad. It portrays what life was like in Iran, especially for women, before the 1979 revolution that brought Ayatollah Khomeini to power. Set mostly in Tehran, it follows Forugh’s life – her rebellious nature, desire for self-expression, and the personal sacrifices she made in pursuit of art.
It is an excellent example of the use of fiction used to illuminate the past. This book gives the reader a vivid idea of Forugh’s personality – a woman of strong opinions, a risk-taker, and one who challenged the traditional views of a woman’s role. The writing is strong. The story is told in first person by Forugh, the only choice that does not quite work for me. The story portrays the complicated political climate in the 1960s during the last shah’s regime.
Darznik includes several of Forugh’s translated poems, which had been published then later banned in Iran. The author’s family left Iran in 1978, when Darznik was a child. I very much enjoyed this glimpse into Iranian culture and history.
4.5
August 23, 2020
'Song of a Captive Bird' follows the story of poet and filmmaker Forugh Farrokhzhad and her journey from rebellious adolescent to repressed house and a fearless poet whose art cause an almost irreversible chasm to develop in Iranian society and empowered thousands of women to reclaim their voice and sense of identity beyond the narrow one which men had imprisoned them in. Forugh was more than just a poet and artist; just like the oil well fires of Ahwaz which she filmed, her incendiary prose was blaze upon which the hopes of a liberal and modern Iran rested, a fire which refused to be extinguished by the parochial judgement and gossip of those around her, but which was instead extinguished far too soon.
Forugh is the daughter of a high-ranking general in the Shah's army and, despite the relative privilege which this position allowed her, both Forugh and the other women in her family constantly labour under the oppressive weight of patriarchy forced on them by both her father and society. Marriage is her sole route out of these constraints, but she finds her marriage to the shy and intelligent Parviz only deepen these bonds, until she feels suffocated and hopelessly alone. Forough’s subsequent journey to self-discovery takes her from the drudgery of a mental health asylum, to the soaring heights of Iran’s avant garde art scene, yet, through all this, her journey to find meaning and love remains the same.
I do not know enough about Fourough’s life to ascertain how much of the story if fact and fiction, yet, as with any book, the lines between fact and fiction are constantly blurred to the point of being meaningless and irrelevant. What is most important is the story which Darznik weaves through the novel, the story of a woman whose poetry, like all great art, created beauty and opened up a whole new world for millions around her.
Forugh is the daughter of a high-ranking general in the Shah's army and, despite the relative privilege which this position allowed her, both Forugh and the other women in her family constantly labour under the oppressive weight of patriarchy forced on them by both her father and society. Marriage is her sole route out of these constraints, but she finds her marriage to the shy and intelligent Parviz only deepen these bonds, until she feels suffocated and hopelessly alone. Forough’s subsequent journey to self-discovery takes her from the drudgery of a mental health asylum, to the soaring heights of Iran’s avant garde art scene, yet, through all this, her journey to find meaning and love remains the same.
I do not know enough about Fourough’s life to ascertain how much of the story if fact and fiction, yet, as with any book, the lines between fact and fiction are constantly blurred to the point of being meaningless and irrelevant. What is most important is the story which Darznik weaves through the novel, the story of a woman whose poetry, like all great art, created beauty and opened up a whole new world for millions around her.
February 19, 2023
This is a novel about Iranian poet and a film maker Forugh Farrokhzad’s, short life. She was born in Tehran in 1934 as one of seven children to colonel Mohammad Bagher Farrokhzad and his first wife. As a child she was told that Iranian daughters are supposed to be quite and modest, but that was the last thing Forugh wanted to be. She wanted to play outside the house like her brothers, she wanted to do what she wanted when she wanted it, she wanted to chose whom to love, and above all she wanted and needed to write poetry and express herself artistically.
She died in a car accident at 32. Her life was her own. She was determined to speak out and break free from the rigid rules that surrounded a life of a woman. And that she did. She succeeded to an extent but her freedom came at a very high price.
Jasmin Darznik’s prose and Forugh’s poetry are absolutely gorgeous. I think I now want to both keep the author on my radar and read what is available of Forugh Farrokhzad’s own poetry.
She died in a car accident at 32. Her life was her own. She was determined to speak out and break free from the rigid rules that surrounded a life of a woman. And that she did. She succeeded to an extent but her freedom came at a very high price.
Jasmin Darznik’s prose and Forugh’s poetry are absolutely gorgeous. I think I now want to both keep the author on my radar and read what is available of Forugh Farrokhzad’s own poetry.
February 27, 2018
"Mine was a country where they said a woman's nature is riddled with sin, where they claimed that women's voices had the power to drive men to lust and distract them from matters of both heaven and earth...Because I was a woman, they wanted to silence the screams on my lips and stifle the breath in my lungs. But I couldn't stay quiet."
I love to hear of unheard stories of women who fought bravely for women in history. I just finished Song of A Captive Bird, a new historical novel that chronicles and honors the life of famed Persian poet Forugh Farrokhzad, whose life and work paved the way for feminism in Iran.
Farrokhzad grew up in Tehran in the 1940s and 1950s, married young and had a child, all while she was cultivating her voice in poetry. She soon had an affair, published her poetry, divorced and lost custody of her son. In the end she had to sacrifice almost everything including her life (she died tragically at the young age of 32) to oppose the oppressive ways that women were expected to live in Iran during her times. Her daring life was clearly as compelling as her poetry, which I absolutely loved!
Sadly I can’t say the same for this book as a work of literature, but I was riveted by Farrokhzad’s harrowing journey to make a true life for herself as a modern woman and poet. This could have been an incredible historical novel, but there were too many shortcomings including too many lengthy descriptions that didn’t move the story forward and what I found to be a cumbersome writing style and narrative that jumped around and didn’t progress fluidly. Also Farrokhzad’s poetry was dropped in from time to time like a visitor rather than being woven into the story. I felt there was a disconnect between the poetry of the poet and the narrator who was telling the story, though they were both supposed to be the same person!
Ultimately, for me, the book never really came alive and was missing a kind of life force energy, or soul, except during the parts where Farrokhzad was committed to a mental institution. The book started to break open midway, but then stalled again. It went through too many crests and troughs and inconsistencies to make it a great book! I felt the novel needed more work and editing to really make it a polished work of literature.
Still, the life and work of Forugh Farrokhzad should be honored and I applaud this writer for bringing her tragic and empowering story to light. Farrokhzad bravely fought for the recognition of the lives of women in Iran and gave them a voice. For that reason alone, it’s worth reading.
"I'd lost my husband, my son, and, very nearly, my life. All that was left, the one thing that survived, but also the thing that pulled at me most fiercely, was my desire to write."
I love to hear of unheard stories of women who fought bravely for women in history. I just finished Song of A Captive Bird, a new historical novel that chronicles and honors the life of famed Persian poet Forugh Farrokhzad, whose life and work paved the way for feminism in Iran.
Farrokhzad grew up in Tehran in the 1940s and 1950s, married young and had a child, all while she was cultivating her voice in poetry. She soon had an affair, published her poetry, divorced and lost custody of her son. In the end she had to sacrifice almost everything including her life (she died tragically at the young age of 32) to oppose the oppressive ways that women were expected to live in Iran during her times. Her daring life was clearly as compelling as her poetry, which I absolutely loved!
Sadly I can’t say the same for this book as a work of literature, but I was riveted by Farrokhzad’s harrowing journey to make a true life for herself as a modern woman and poet. This could have been an incredible historical novel, but there were too many shortcomings including too many lengthy descriptions that didn’t move the story forward and what I found to be a cumbersome writing style and narrative that jumped around and didn’t progress fluidly. Also Farrokhzad’s poetry was dropped in from time to time like a visitor rather than being woven into the story. I felt there was a disconnect between the poetry of the poet and the narrator who was telling the story, though they were both supposed to be the same person!
Ultimately, for me, the book never really came alive and was missing a kind of life force energy, or soul, except during the parts where Farrokhzad was committed to a mental institution. The book started to break open midway, but then stalled again. It went through too many crests and troughs and inconsistencies to make it a great book! I felt the novel needed more work and editing to really make it a polished work of literature.
Still, the life and work of Forugh Farrokhzad should be honored and I applaud this writer for bringing her tragic and empowering story to light. Farrokhzad bravely fought for the recognition of the lives of women in Iran and gave them a voice. For that reason alone, it’s worth reading.
"I'd lost my husband, my son, and, very nearly, my life. All that was left, the one thing that survived, but also the thing that pulled at me most fiercely, was my desire to write."
September 11, 2018
The story of this book is based on the life of the Irani poet Forugh Farrokhzad.
Since poetry is not a genre I have any knowledge nor is Iran history I have no idea who this person was.
My main problem is that the story didn't add any information I found in Wikipedia about this poet, so if you what recreate her life you may find this read interesting but the facts are not necessarily truthful.
----------
POPSUGAR reading challenge 2018 14. A book by an author of a different ethnicity than you
Since poetry is not a genre I have any knowledge nor is Iran history I have no idea who this person was.
My main problem is that the story didn't add any information I found in Wikipedia about this poet, so if you what recreate her life you may find this read interesting but the facts are not necessarily truthful.
----------
POPSUGAR reading challenge 2018 14. A book by an author of a different ethnicity than you
September 17, 2019
Sklandus tekstas, bet gana boooring, nes jau gi žinom, kad Irane mergaitės auginamos ankstyvam ištekinimui, neturi tiek laisvių, kiek berniukai, turi reikalavimus aprangai ir plaukų dengimui, rytuose kvepia įvairiais prieskoniais ir ryžius moterys verda vis naujai perplaudamos, kad birūs būtų ir t.t., ir pan.
Knygoje teigiama, kad poetė vaiko buvo priversta atsisakyti vardan laisvės (rimtai? norėjimas neturėti jokių įsipareigojimų vaikui ir vyrui bei užmegzti romaną su vedusiu vyru "privertė" ją prarasti bet kokias teises į vaiką?).
Knygoje pateikiama, kad jei poetė būtų gimusi vakaruose, viskas būtų buvę kitaip (rimtai? vakaruose viena gatvėmis vaikštanti moteris su pernelyg trumpu sijonu, pernelyg gilia iškirpte, mezganti romaną su vedusiu vyru nebūtų laikoma ir vadinama "K" kaip rytuose?).
Knygoje dar yra klaidų (redagavimo, korektūros) + keletas visai neįkvepiančiai išverstų eilėraščių.
Knygoje teigiama, kad poetė vaiko buvo priversta atsisakyti vardan laisvės (rimtai? norėjimas neturėti jokių įsipareigojimų vaikui ir vyrui bei užmegzti romaną su vedusiu vyru "privertė" ją prarasti bet kokias teises į vaiką?).
Knygoje pateikiama, kad jei poetė būtų gimusi vakaruose, viskas būtų buvę kitaip (rimtai? vakaruose viena gatvėmis vaikštanti moteris su pernelyg trumpu sijonu, pernelyg gilia iškirpte, mezganti romaną su vedusiu vyru nebūtų laikoma ir vadinama "K" kaip rytuose?).
Knygoje dar yra klaidų (redagavimo, korektūros) + keletas visai neįkvepiančiai išverstų eilėraščių.
February 22, 2018
4 Stars
ARC provided by Ballatine Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This review contains minor spoilers concerning differences between known facts and fiction.
Song of a Captive Bird caught my eye on Netgalley. I normally avoid fictionalized accounts of real people. It's a personal hangup, but it makes me uncomfortable when authors make such big presumptions about real people for the sake of fiction. But Song of a Captive Bird covers a time and place often overlooked by books, so I was intrigued. It covers the life of Forugh Farrokhzhad, a famous Iranian poet. I had heard of Forugh but knew nothing about her.
Having read it, I still have mixed feelings. I was surprised to find that the book was written in first person from Forugh's perspective. Again, this is a personal hangup, but it strikes as considerably presumptuous to take such liberties as to imagine the innermost thoughts and emotions of a real person. This probably will not bother most readers though. And to be fair, the author seemed to be 100% motivated by admiration and desire to bring her idol to life. But I have to emphasize to all potential readers that this is FICTION. Indeed, I had to remind myself to think of it only as fiction or I got caught up wondering what Forugh would think of this book.
Once I got past that, however, I did mostly enough the novel. Many parts of it were vivid, emotional, and poignant. It is not a book for the faint of heart since it does not sugar coat either Forugh's personal tragedies or the turmoil of her time period. I can't say that I always like Forugh's character but I was still drawn to her story. Some parts were hauntingly emotional and then other parts I felt completely disconnected from. The middle was definitely where my interest wandered a bit. But the book does have a strong, emotional ending. I also liked that translations of some of Forugh's real poems were included.
The main thing that kept pulling me out of the story was the heavy-handed foreshadowing that turned into outright spoilers. Darznik often bluntly told exactly what would happen then slowly circled around to how it happened and everything that led to those events. I yearned for a more linear flow that did not jump around so much.
It was written with Westerners in mind with definitions of words and terms, explanation of cultural customs, and historical background. There was good historical background without being too much of an infodump.
Once I started reading Song of a Captive Bird, I avoided looking anything up about the real Forugh Farrokhzhad because I did not want to constantly compare fiction with history. When I read the author's note at the end followed by some quick research, I was disappointed to find out some of the things that were made up.
Overall Song of a Captive Bird was a vivid, emotional read despite a few rough bits. I have to emphasize again that this is fiction although hopefully it will inspire people to learn more about both Forugh Farrokhzhad and Iranian culture and history.
RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 4 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 3 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 4 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars
ARC provided by Ballatine Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This review contains minor spoilers concerning differences between known facts and fiction.
Song of a Captive Bird caught my eye on Netgalley. I normally avoid fictionalized accounts of real people. It's a personal hangup, but it makes me uncomfortable when authors make such big presumptions about real people for the sake of fiction. But Song of a Captive Bird covers a time and place often overlooked by books, so I was intrigued. It covers the life of Forugh Farrokhzhad, a famous Iranian poet. I had heard of Forugh but knew nothing about her.
"It was a house that turned from the world and cast its gaze inward, a house whose women believed the very walls listened for sin, a house where we whispered the truth or didn't speak it at all."
Having read it, I still have mixed feelings. I was surprised to find that the book was written in first person from Forugh's perspective. Again, this is a personal hangup, but it strikes as considerably presumptuous to take such liberties as to imagine the innermost thoughts and emotions of a real person. This probably will not bother most readers though. And to be fair, the author seemed to be 100% motivated by admiration and desire to bring her idol to life. But I have to emphasize to all potential readers that this is FICTION. Indeed, I had to remind myself to think of it only as fiction or I got caught up wondering what Forugh would think of this book.
Once I got past that, however, I did mostly enough the novel. Many parts of it were vivid, emotional, and poignant. It is not a book for the faint of heart since it does not sugar coat either Forugh's personal tragedies or the turmoil of her time period. I can't say that I always like Forugh's character but I was still drawn to her story. Some parts were hauntingly emotional and then other parts I felt completely disconnected from. The middle was definitely where my interest wandered a bit. But the book does have a strong, emotional ending. I also liked that translations of some of Forugh's real poems were included.
"The sun was dead
The sun was dead and
'tomorrow'
was an odd, antiquated word
children no longer understood.
They drew it back as a black blot
in their notebooks
My people, a fallen people
dead-of-head, dazed, lonely,
wandered from exile to exile
dragging the burden of their
own corpses
and the murderous thirst of
their hands.
-from 'Earthly Verses'"
The main thing that kept pulling me out of the story was the heavy-handed foreshadowing that turned into outright spoilers. Darznik often bluntly told exactly what would happen then slowly circled around to how it happened and everything that led to those events. I yearned for a more linear flow that did not jump around so much.
It was written with Westerners in mind with definitions of words and terms, explanation of cultural customs, and historical background. There was good historical background without being too much of an infodump.
Once I started reading Song of a Captive Bird, I avoided looking anything up about the real Forugh Farrokhzhad because I did not want to constantly compare fiction with history. When I read the author's note at the end followed by some quick research, I was disappointed to find out some of the things that were made up.
Overall Song of a Captive Bird was a vivid, emotional read despite a few rough bits. I have to emphasize again that this is fiction although hopefully it will inspire people to learn more about both Forugh Farrokhzhad and Iranian culture and history.
"Because I was a woman, they wanted to silence the screams on my ligs and stifle the breath in my lungs. But I couldn't stay quiet. I couldn't speak with the voice of a man, because it was not my voice - not true and not my own. But there was more to it than that. By writing in a woman's voice I wanted to say that a woman, too, is a human being. To say that we, too, have the right to breathe, to cry out, and too sing."
RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 4 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 3 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 4 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars
March 27, 2019
On sale for $1.99 (Kindle Daily Deal) today! It’s a steal! This is a great story!
Song of a Captive Bird is a fictional depiction of the life of Iranian poet and film director, Forough Farrokhzad. She was known for writing poems in a simple, modern style from a woman’s perspective. The novel tells not only the story of her life but it also paints a picture of what life was like for women in Iran during this time period, between 1935 and 1967.
Miss Farrokhzad was a woman too modern for her time and her country and she led a controversial life. She was divorced and had her son taken away from her by her ex-husband. She was committed to a mental institution because she expressed passion and lust in her poems and also because she desired the same freedoms as men. Passion and lust were something women were not allowed to feel, to speak, or even think. Women had no control over their fates. It seemed that they were confined to the house when they were little girls. They were told who to marry. The mother arranged the marriage but it was the father that had the final say. Their husbands could divorce them and cast them out for any reason they deemed appropriate. They could take another wife if it suited them. And all of this was during a time of modernization and Westernization in Iran.
I had never heard of Forough Farrokhzad prior to reading this novel but I found her story and the Iranian culture very interesting. It’s remarkable that she was able to live the life she did and unfortunate that she came to such an early demise. She was only 32 when she died in a car crash.
I would highly recommend this novel to anyone interested in the life of this poet, or not. There is much, much more to this novel. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the author’s eloquent yet poetic writing style suits it perfectly. I thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Song of a Captive Bird is a fictional depiction of the life of Iranian poet and film director, Forough Farrokhzad. She was known for writing poems in a simple, modern style from a woman’s perspective. The novel tells not only the story of her life but it also paints a picture of what life was like for women in Iran during this time period, between 1935 and 1967.
Miss Farrokhzad was a woman too modern for her time and her country and she led a controversial life. She was divorced and had her son taken away from her by her ex-husband. She was committed to a mental institution because she expressed passion and lust in her poems and also because she desired the same freedoms as men. Passion and lust were something women were not allowed to feel, to speak, or even think. Women had no control over their fates. It seemed that they were confined to the house when they were little girls. They were told who to marry. The mother arranged the marriage but it was the father that had the final say. Their husbands could divorce them and cast them out for any reason they deemed appropriate. They could take another wife if it suited them. And all of this was during a time of modernization and Westernization in Iran.
I had never heard of Forough Farrokhzad prior to reading this novel but I found her story and the Iranian culture very interesting. It’s remarkable that she was able to live the life she did and unfortunate that she came to such an early demise. She was only 32 when she died in a car crash.
I would highly recommend this novel to anyone interested in the life of this poet, or not. There is much, much more to this novel. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the author’s eloquent yet poetic writing style suits it perfectly. I thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,009 reviews