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The Immortals of Tehran
As a child living in his family's apple orchard, Ahmad Torkash-Vand treasures his great-great-great-great grandfather's every mesmerizing word. On the day of his father's death, Ahmad listens closely as the seemingly immortal elder tells him the tale of a centuries-old family curse . . . and the boy's own fated role in the story.
Ahmad grows up to suspect that something must be interfering with his family, as he struggles to hold them together through decades of famine, loss, and political turmoil in Iran. As the world transforms around him, each turn of Ahmad's life is a surprise: from street brawler, to father of two unusually gifted daughters; from radical poet, to politician with a target on his back. These lives, and the many unforgettable stories alongside his, converge and catch fire at the center of the Revolution.
Exploring the brutality of history while conjuring the astonishment of magical realism, The Immortals of Tehran is a novel about the incantatory power of words and the revolutionary sparks of love, family, and poetry--set against the indifferent, relentless march of time.
Ahmad grows up to suspect that something must be interfering with his family, as he struggles to hold them together through decades of famine, loss, and political turmoil in Iran. As the world transforms around him, each turn of Ahmad's life is a surprise: from street brawler, to father of two unusually gifted daughters; from radical poet, to politician with a target on his back. These lives, and the many unforgettable stories alongside his, converge and catch fire at the center of the Revolution.
Exploring the brutality of history while conjuring the astonishment of magical realism, The Immortals of Tehran is a novel about the incantatory power of words and the revolutionary sparks of love, family, and poetry--set against the indifferent, relentless march of time.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published April 7, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews
September 14, 2021
For over 1000 years literature has been constricted by these laws....
Poetry was in rigid black, circumscribed in rectangles; prisons for words that translated into prisons for people. Why did poetry have to be forced into predetermined rhymes? p175
With robust delicacy Alireza Taheri Araghi has given us a complex conjunction of fact and fiction, tantalizing and adroitly arranged so that even I, ignorant of the events and leery of politics, and a cat lover after all, was swept away.
One reads with one's heart and these things are all in books.
p199
July 27, 2020
I am fatigued after reading this book. I felt I exercised a great deal of my limited intellectual ability in reaching the end.
This was part of my “let me read a book set in a country I haven’t visited yet” series. I thought I knew a little bit of Iranian history, but Alireza’s use of magical realism in conveying that history left me confused. This is a sweeping bildungsroman, in the tradition of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. We are told the story of an eccentric family with the protagonist, Ahmad, being a poet who loses his voice after witnessing his father commit suicide.
In the background is the fable of cats who want to take revenge for being driven out of their homeland. Therefore, Ahmad and all male members are cursed with immortality and watching their beloved sons die. The cats also foretell the chaos and confusion in Iran that began with the rise of Mossadegh, the Shah’s iron rule, and the eventual revolution. It’s this period that the book deals with. By itself, it’s a lot to take in, but add in cats, poetry through words that catch fire, secret affairs, revolutionaries, burning cats, cats with rifles, old men who die but are alive, and more cats riding army tanks, it became too much for my poor mind.
This was part of my “let me read a book set in a country I haven’t visited yet” series. I thought I knew a little bit of Iranian history, but Alireza’s use of magical realism in conveying that history left me confused. This is a sweeping bildungsroman, in the tradition of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. We are told the story of an eccentric family with the protagonist, Ahmad, being a poet who loses his voice after witnessing his father commit suicide.
In the background is the fable of cats who want to take revenge for being driven out of their homeland. Therefore, Ahmad and all male members are cursed with immortality and watching their beloved sons die. The cats also foretell the chaos and confusion in Iran that began with the rise of Mossadegh, the Shah’s iron rule, and the eventual revolution. It’s this period that the book deals with. By itself, it’s a lot to take in, but add in cats, poetry through words that catch fire, secret affairs, revolutionaries, burning cats, cats with rifles, old men who die but are alive, and more cats riding army tanks, it became too much for my poor mind.
January 30, 2021
I never wanted to stop reading it, but I wanted it to be over...if that makes sense. It wasn’t exactly as I expected and not the type of text I normally read (which is why I wanted to give it a try). Ali Araghi was able to intertwine magic and Iranian history, but not in a way that one overshadows the other. The characters and their relationships are complex and each important to the revolution and storyline.
I enjoyed the book, but I know I would have liked and appreciated it more if I had more prior knowledge of Iranian history. So if you’re going to read it, brush up on the history a little bit.
I enjoyed the book, but I know I would have liked and appreciated it more if I had more prior knowledge of Iranian history. So if you’re going to read it, brush up on the history a little bit.
January 14, 2020
A sweeping (if not entirely epic) family saga at heart, shot through with shades of magical realism and rooted in the rich and tragic history of post-World War II Iran, Ali Araghi’s IMMORTALS OF TEHRAN is a truly rare sort of debut novel from an author seasoned beyond his years. With powerful, engaging prose, Araghi weaves an intricate tapestry of interlocking narratives, relationships and timelines that beg us as readers to ask important and probing questions about this oft overlooked people and the turmoil they’ve endured.
February 26, 2021
Not a bad story, I got so horribly disinterested that I speed-read for a while then put the book down at 56%. I read another two books then came back to it. Finally finished and really regret it as a waste of time. No more of this author for me.
3 stars for mystical ideas and polished writing
3 stars for mystical ideas and polished writing
April 20, 2021
One of the best books I’ve read this year, an amazing #OwnVoices novel that really captured the essence of what I come to expect when reading multi-generational family sagas. However, it is also a complex novel, at times dense and uncompromising in its pace, with very little character dialogue (in part because the main character is mute) and very rich in Persian and Shi’a allegory, which at times can be hard to untangle from each other.
The book takes places for most of its events before the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Revolution of 1979, and also shows the saga of Ahmed and his family set against the backdrop of the rise and fall of the Pahlavi dynasty. Imbued with prose that brings you into Tehran and her suburbs, from the protests to the salons where poetry is the object at hand, the author is able to keep you entranced from the beginning, and the blending of magical realism with the realities of the turmoil that Persia underwent up to 1979 align so well it’s hard to put the book down once you start.
“The Immortals of Tehran” is a book that showcases magical realism at its finest, and also disproves the misconception that the genre is only endemic to Latin American literature, a Western Hemispheric outlook that is both outdated and ludicrous to make, when Persian, Bengali, and Turkish authors (to name a few) have been utilizing magical realism decades before its prevalence from maestros such as Isabel Allende and Gabriel Garcia Marquez (but I digress)
I will warn however, that there are moments in the book that are hard to read, both for the content and pace presented, but the overall story is one that is very much worth reading and finishing.
The book takes places for most of its events before the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Revolution of 1979, and also shows the saga of Ahmed and his family set against the backdrop of the rise and fall of the Pahlavi dynasty. Imbued with prose that brings you into Tehran and her suburbs, from the protests to the salons where poetry is the object at hand, the author is able to keep you entranced from the beginning, and the blending of magical realism with the realities of the turmoil that Persia underwent up to 1979 align so well it’s hard to put the book down once you start.
“The Immortals of Tehran” is a book that showcases magical realism at its finest, and also disproves the misconception that the genre is only endemic to Latin American literature, a Western Hemispheric outlook that is both outdated and ludicrous to make, when Persian, Bengali, and Turkish authors (to name a few) have been utilizing magical realism decades before its prevalence from maestros such as Isabel Allende and Gabriel Garcia Marquez (but I digress)
I will warn however, that there are moments in the book that are hard to read, both for the content and pace presented, but the overall story is one that is very much worth reading and finishing.
May 31, 2020
My high expectations left me disappointed 😔 All the components are there for me. Family saga, magical realism, a character who is a famous poet, an old dude who lives in a tree and never really dies, revolution, cats, etc etc etc. Somehow, though, it still fell short! Clearly, there are many compelling parts of this book, but I just feel like a lot of them were not fleshed out enough and I wanted more!!!
February 24, 2023
the history of iran was incredibly interesting, but was a tiny part of the novel overall. the characters, especially the women, were not compelling and felt a bit flat and underdeveloped. the “cats as enemies” felt a bit weird to me: cats riding around on tanks and killing people with their claws. it didn’t feel magical, it just felt like this author really hates cats for some reason. i wanted to like this, but god it was hard to slog through it til the end.
July 24, 2020
Excellent presentation of the Iranian people's cyclical experience with struggle and triumph, seen through generations of a family's saga.
March 31, 2022
My expectations were quite high. If I could, I’d give it 2.5 stars, but I will round up to 3. On paper, this book had all the elements of a good story - against the backdrop of Iranian history following an intriguing family and curse, but I ultimately struggled to maintain interest. I appreciated the intertwining historical story and magical realism elements, but ultimately I was often left confused by the erratic diegesis, and growing number of characters that were dropped in throughout. I really do like what the author tried to do with this story, and I did, in the final half of the book, find myself a bit more interested. It just did not live up to what I think it could’ve been.
January 22, 2022
I started this book hoping it would be a favorite, and though I was worried in the beginning, I think it exceeded my expectations. I'm not even sure how to discuss it, other than calling it an epic tale set against the volatile political situation in Iran during the mid-twentieth century. Normally books about writers, especially poets, annoy me, but The Immortals of Tehran shows the power of poetry and mythology. There's so much I missed here, and I will without a doubt be revisiting this one.
July 29, 2025
كان لدي فضول لمعرفة العنوان الأصلي للرواية، توقعت أنها كتبت بالفارسية لكن تبيّن أنها مترجمة عن الإنجليزية بعنوان "الخالدون في طهران" لكاتبها المقيم في الولايات المتحدة. والحقيقة أنها عنوان "قطط طهران" ملفت أكثر – على الأقل بالنسبة لي.
الرواية مزيج من الواقعية السحرية والتاريخ الإيراني والتراث الشعبي. بطل القصّة أحمد، الصبي الذي فقد صوته إثر مشاهدته لمأساة انتحار والده، ومن هناك نعيش معه باقي مراحل حياته كمراهق، ثم شاب، ونشاهد تحوله لاحقاً إلى شاعر ثوري في بلد يرزح تحت وطأة العديد من التغيرات السياسية والانقلابات.
تمتد الرواية عبر أجيال متعددة، وتغمر القراء في عالم سريالي مليء بالأحداث والشخصيات، حيث يروي الأجداد الخالدون قصصهم تحت أشجار التفاح، وتظهر القطط كشخصيات متحكمة في خيوط الثورة والتقلبات السياسية في البلد. شبّه البعض أسلوب علي رضا عراقي بأسلوب غابرييل غارسيا ماركيز، فالأحداث الغريبة والأسطورة والاستعارات نجدها جنباً إلى جنب مع أحداث تاريخية وسياسية.
شعرت أن هناك إطالة في بعض المواضع، على الرغم من أن الحبكات محكمة إلى حد ما وزخم الشخصيات يدفعك لإنهاء الرواية، لكن 500 صفحة كثير. اضطررت لقراءة العديد من الفصول قراءة سريعة.
رسالة إلى دار النشر، هناك الكثير من الأخطاء اللغوية والمطبعية. نأمل أن تكون الطبعات القادمة منقحة بشكل أفضل.
الرواية مزيج من الواقعية السحرية والتاريخ الإيراني والتراث الشعبي. بطل القصّة أحمد، الصبي الذي فقد صوته إثر مشاهدته لمأساة انتحار والده، ومن هناك نعيش معه باقي مراحل حياته كمراهق، ثم شاب، ونشاهد تحوله لاحقاً إلى شاعر ثوري في بلد يرزح تحت وطأة العديد من التغيرات السياسية والانقلابات.
تمتد الرواية عبر أجيال متعددة، وتغمر القراء في عالم سريالي مليء بالأحداث والشخصيات، حيث يروي الأجداد الخالدون قصصهم تحت أشجار التفاح، وتظهر القطط كشخصيات متحكمة في خيوط الثورة والتقلبات السياسية في البلد. شبّه البعض أسلوب علي رضا عراقي بأسلوب غابرييل غارسيا ماركيز، فالأحداث الغريبة والأسطورة والاستعارات نجدها جنباً إلى جنب مع أحداث تاريخية وسياسية.
شعرت أن هناك إطالة في بعض المواضع، على الرغم من أن الحبكات محكمة إلى حد ما وزخم الشخصيات يدفعك لإنهاء الرواية، لكن 500 صفحة كثير. اضطررت لقراءة العديد من الفصول قراءة سريعة.
رسالة إلى دار النشر، هناك الكثير من الأخطاء اللغوية والمطبعية. نأمل أن تكون الطبعات القادمة منقحة بشكل أفضل.
December 22, 2022
Maybe 3.5 stars idk. I really liked this book starting out but then it just kinda plateaued and was way too long. I feel like there just was not enough character development or deep dives in character feelings even though the book was so long. I also don't like reading about a 30 something year old man and a 9 year old girl falling in love. Like I get it's historically accurate but this book has cats overthrowing a government and poems that melt steel so don't make me read about these weird relationships. I love a generational story but I just didn't love the way this was written and I just totally lost interest after halfway and it made me not want to read for the past couple of days so that's sad. Also what was with the 1 line of first person perspective on the second to last page in a book that is all third person and with no explanation? Anyway I did like this book but I got tired of it and probably would not recommend to others.
September 24, 2021
I enjoyed this mainly because 100 Years of Solitude is one of my favorite books ever, and this is clearly influenced by that book/Marquez. However, at the same time, I kept comparing the two novels, and The Immortals of Tehran did not stand against 100 Years. The similarity between the two books is both its success and its downfall.
I liked the characters, the folklore, the magical realism, the political commentary (though I’m sure a lot of it still went over my head, I researched a lot of the things I didn’t know about, and I liked learning more about Iranian history!) … but ultimately it lacked the punch that 100 Years carries.
I still really liked it! I would even recommended to friends! But I mean, when a book is such an imitation of Marquez it’s not going to fare well in comparison. It’ll still stay with me though, and I’m glad to have read it :)
I liked the characters, the folklore, the magical realism, the political commentary (though I’m sure a lot of it still went over my head, I researched a lot of the things I didn’t know about, and I liked learning more about Iranian history!) … but ultimately it lacked the punch that 100 Years carries.
I still really liked it! I would even recommended to friends! But I mean, when a book is such an imitation of Marquez it’s not going to fare well in comparison. It’ll still stay with me though, and I’m glad to have read it :)
February 14, 2022
I really wanted to like this book. I really did. The premise seemed interesting, and I'm normally a fan of something magical, but this book fell flat for me.
Although the many characters were interesting, I couldn't connect with them. They were fleshed out and dynamic, but I felt absolutely no attachment. It's really hard for me to invest in a book when I feel no connection to the characters, and I think that's why it took me more than a month to finish it.
The timeline was confusing, I had no attachment to the characters, but Araghi writes extremely well and I did find the plot compelling. It just missed on some key aspects for me.
I wish I could rank this higher, but I don't think I'll pick this one up again, and it was work for me to get through it. Alas, they can't all be winners.
Although the many characters were interesting, I couldn't connect with them. They were fleshed out and dynamic, but I felt absolutely no attachment. It's really hard for me to invest in a book when I feel no connection to the characters, and I think that's why it took me more than a month to finish it.
The timeline was confusing, I had no attachment to the characters, but Araghi writes extremely well and I did find the plot compelling. It just missed on some key aspects for me.
I wish I could rank this higher, but I don't think I'll pick this one up again, and it was work for me to get through it. Alas, they can't all be winners.
May 17, 2020
Otra historia de Irán con elementos mágicos. Equivocadamente pensé que era un libro de fantasía, con elementos de la mitología propia de la zona.
Una parte de mi entiende que disfrazar eventos difíciles tras una máscara de fantasía, de realismo mágico, puede ayudar al escritor y los lectores a bajar la violencia y lo inexplicable de una historia, pero no puedo dejar de sentirlo como una herramienta anacrónica que esconde el verdadero impacto, el dolor, la sangre y lo inexplicable del retroceso, del extremismo y el fanatismo.
Una parte de mi entiende que disfrazar eventos difíciles tras una máscara de fantasía, de realismo mágico, puede ayudar al escritor y los lectores a bajar la violencia y lo inexplicable de una historia, pero no puedo dejar de sentirlo como una herramienta anacrónica que esconde el verdadero impacto, el dolor, la sangre y lo inexplicable del retroceso, del extremismo y el fanatismo.
March 4, 2023
Almost gave up on this one multiple times. I enjoyed the political/historical backdrop of pre- and post-Revolution Iran, as those bits were the most interesting, but overall this book was a huge chore to get through. One of the dryer family sagas I’ve read, and the magical realism fell really flat for me, especially when compared to other works in the genre (Marquez & Allende come to mind). It had huge potential, and I really love the concept of language and words being incorporated into fantasy, but it wasn’t executed as well as it could have been. 2.5 stars.
March 18, 2023
Alternate title: CATS! But I guess that name is already taken... *Immortals of Tehran* was worth the read but something about it just didn't click with me. In the style of some of my all-time favorite books: "100 years of solitude" and "The House of Spirits" and "The Good Earth" and "Pachinko," it follows political and cultural shifts through the generations of a single family. While the modern history of Iran was interesting, something about the characters, maybe their lack of relatability and depth, made the work fall flat. The magical realism was a welcome flourish to what would otherwise be a bland storyline. But the flying cats were maybe a bit much, even for me.
October 8, 2023
I don’t know why the author had a hate for cats but it was a good story. I liked the initial story of the cats and I also liked the story of the family weaving with the history of Iran. It was juxtaposed quite nicely and I did enjoy this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 26, 2024
This is a beautiful family saga with understated mysticism (apart from the cats). Although it's a little pedantic at times, Araghi skilfully manages the narrative's time line and family's story against the turbulent revolutionary times in Iran. It had me researching history I didn't know, so for that it was a valuable read.
June 13, 2020
I mostly enjoyed the depiction of Iran and the family relationships, the fantasy parts not so much.
July 21, 2025
وصلت للصفحة ٢٠٠ ومش قادرة أكمل
الجو حر ومش ناقصة فرهدة عين
الترجمة وحشة ترجمة دار العربي و مفيش تدقيق لغوي حتي ...
الجو حر ومش ناقصة فرهدة عين
الترجمة وحشة ترجمة دار العربي و مفيش تدقيق لغوي حتي ...
July 2, 2021
I'm sorry but this is the best way I can think to describe this book: Cluster F*ck.
Nothing is consistent, and nothing ever makes any sense. This book is a nonsensical jumble.
Events happen to random characters at random times in a random sequence. A lot of this book seems like a series of near complete non-sequitors barely held together by a cooling glue gun.
Time doesn't pass- you blink and suddenly it's been 4 years. Time stutters along in the most frustrating and confusing way I can imagine trying to write it.
We pretty much follow the main character, but most of the book is about things that have happened to other characters, which is obviously 100% fine. My problem is when we get to the end of the book and there is 0 closure for any of the characters we spent the last 200 pages getting invested in- no "final" wrap up- we don't actually know what happens to them. It's like a series of threads the author couldn't seem to follow all the way through on (or got bored of half way through). IE it is a bunch of life events/paths that never get wrapped up that honestly had me asking myself why this isn't just a book of short stories? The book ends abruptly and chaotically (read: unsatisfyingly) where it just feels like a "oh, it's my deadline now!".
I genuinely cannot tell what this book was supposed to tell us. "During the revolution, cats put on fake wings and shot handguns"? I actually rolled my eyes so hard I almost lost them when I read that. 60% of this book is just completely ridiculous for no actual reason (ie, nothing is ever truly 'established'-- there are no rules of the world. Things just happen and we have to accept that they did. Music makes flowers grow from every where, poems melt through metal, and people are alive yet not alive?). There's a point where I can't help but wonder how much of it is an intentional "Unreliable Narrator" technique (a kind way to say are we sure most of this wasn't a kind of hallucination).
Im not sure how much of this books events were real and how much was random magic that is somehow possible because it is, ok, trust us. Which is... not a great idea (in my opinion) when trying to confront politically complicated and obscure [from a Western perspective anyway] conflict. The entire narrative listed on the back felt like a background to "magic cats are causing chaos to my magically immortal family so I'll write some magic poems about it." Magical Realism (as is promised on the back cover) is a stretch when the reader can't even tell what's actually real.
Nothing is consistent, and nothing ever makes any sense. This book is a nonsensical jumble.
Events happen to random characters at random times in a random sequence. A lot of this book seems like a series of near complete non-sequitors barely held together by a cooling glue gun.
Time doesn't pass- you blink and suddenly it's been 4 years. Time stutters along in the most frustrating and confusing way I can imagine trying to write it.
We pretty much follow the main character, but most of the book is about things that have happened to other characters, which is obviously 100% fine. My problem is when we get to the end of the book and there is 0 closure for any of the characters we spent the last 200 pages getting invested in- no "final" wrap up- we don't actually know what happens to them. It's like a series of threads the author couldn't seem to follow all the way through on (or got bored of half way through). IE it is a bunch of life events/paths that never get wrapped up that honestly had me asking myself why this isn't just a book of short stories? The book ends abruptly and chaotically (read: unsatisfyingly) where it just feels like a "oh, it's my deadline now!".
I genuinely cannot tell what this book was supposed to tell us. "During the revolution, cats put on fake wings and shot handguns"? I actually rolled my eyes so hard I almost lost them when I read that. 60% of this book is just completely ridiculous for no actual reason (ie, nothing is ever truly 'established'-- there are no rules of the world. Things just happen and we have to accept that they did. Music makes flowers grow from every where, poems melt through metal, and people are alive yet not alive?). There's a point where I can't help but wonder how much of it is an intentional "Unreliable Narrator" technique (a kind way to say are we sure most of this wasn't a kind of hallucination).
Im not sure how much of this books events were real and how much was random magic that is somehow possible because it is, ok, trust us. Which is... not a great idea (in my opinion) when trying to confront politically complicated and obscure [from a Western perspective anyway] conflict. The entire narrative listed on the back felt like a background to "magic cats are causing chaos to my magically immortal family so I'll write some magic poems about it." Magical Realism (as is promised on the back cover) is a stretch when the reader can't even tell what's actually real.
May 12, 2020
In this stunning work of magic realism, Ali Araghi transports readers to Iran’s recent past, where an extended family deals with a legendary curse. Ahmad, the principal character, is as a child an unwitting and unwilling participant in his father’s suicide. As a result of the trauma, Ahmad is struck dumb, a permanent condition that only allows him to shape words with his mouth. His voice is gone. His great grandfather Agha tries to connect with the boy and tells the tale of the cats, creatures who have their own land. When the land is invaded by humans and an endless war begins. The cats seek revenge by trying to cause chaos and disrupt human society.
Khan, Ahmad’s father, son of Agha becomes convinced cats are behind Russian interference in his homeland and instigators of the social unrest that pits leftist forces against the Shah’s regime. Ahmad, who grows up to become a poet and then a politician doesn’t believe his father or his grandfather but is careful to not offend them. He becomes a member of Parliament and although he is sympathetic to the leftist cause to which his childhood friend Salman belongs, he allows himself to be controlled by people close to the Shah.
In relative anonymity, Ahmad writes rousing poetry, words that have the power to catch on fire and melt metal. The leftists use the poetry to advance their cause. Ahmad ends up betraying Salman to his shame.
The scope of this story is vast, covering decades of Iran’s turbulent past as a backdrop to the intimate history of Ahmad and his family, their loves, their enemies, and their struggles. The characters and situations seem so real and vivid, I didn’t even blink at the fantastic elements. It is a measure of the writer’s skill to make the reader believe in the magical parts and Araghi did this. The story left me feeling as if I visited a very real place during a dangerous time. After reading the book, I was both exhilarated and sad. Fans of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, magical realism, and literary fiction will love this book.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Khan, Ahmad’s father, son of Agha becomes convinced cats are behind Russian interference in his homeland and instigators of the social unrest that pits leftist forces against the Shah’s regime. Ahmad, who grows up to become a poet and then a politician doesn’t believe his father or his grandfather but is careful to not offend them. He becomes a member of Parliament and although he is sympathetic to the leftist cause to which his childhood friend Salman belongs, he allows himself to be controlled by people close to the Shah.
In relative anonymity, Ahmad writes rousing poetry, words that have the power to catch on fire and melt metal. The leftists use the poetry to advance their cause. Ahmad ends up betraying Salman to his shame.
The scope of this story is vast, covering decades of Iran’s turbulent past as a backdrop to the intimate history of Ahmad and his family, their loves, their enemies, and their struggles. The characters and situations seem so real and vivid, I didn’t even blink at the fantastic elements. It is a measure of the writer’s skill to make the reader believe in the magical parts and Araghi did this. The story left me feeling as if I visited a very real place during a dangerous time. After reading the book, I was both exhilarated and sad. Fans of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, magical realism, and literary fiction will love this book.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 5, 2022
Het verhaal gaat over Ahmad, die doofstom is maar over een geweldig dichterlijk talent beschikt. Het verhaal speelt zich af vanaf WOII tot de revolutie en de oorlog met Irak. Als lezer duik je in de wijze waarop mensen in Irak in die periode leefden met respect voor hun tradities en opvattingen. Het leert ons ook hoe de gemiddelde Iraniër naar die periode keek en welke hoopvolle verwachtingen man had voor het post-sjah tijdperk.
Hoewel er in circa 450 bladzijden heel wat gebeurt, toch heb je de indruk dat het verhaal geregeld stilvalt door de oeverloze beschrijvingen. Je moet dus als lezer het geduld opbrengen om te volharden en de essentie van het bijkomstige te onderscheiden. Tegelijkertijd kan je je vragen stellen bij de eeuwigdurende winter en de rol van katten in de gebeurtenissen in Iran.
De auteur beschikt zeker over de nodige literaire talenten maar dan moet hij minder overdadig zijn. De draad van het verhaal gaat vaak eens verloren door de overdaad aan feiten, gegevens, besprekingen,... Soms kan je teveel je literaire talenten etaleren. Te veel beschrijvend maakt het bijgevolg voor de lezer moeilijk om te kunnen spreken van een mooi beklijvend verhaal. Bovendien is het verhaal toch heel deprimerend, is het bijzonder moeilijk om je in het hoofdpersonage in te leven en versmachten de soms absurde fantasieën de kern van het verhaal. Of .... is er wel een kern van een verhaal? Met die vraag blijf ik wel zitten!
Araghi schreef hiermee zijn debuut. Zijn literaire gaven geven hem het voordeel van de twijfel en hopelijk wordt zijn volgende roman een echte hit zonder al te veel overdaad, met een duidelijk plot en verhaallijn waarbij je het boek met één ruk kan uitlezen en waar je op het einde met het 'wauw'gevoel zit. Juist dat voordeel van de twijfel verantwoordt de 3 sterren!
Hoewel er in circa 450 bladzijden heel wat gebeurt, toch heb je de indruk dat het verhaal geregeld stilvalt door de oeverloze beschrijvingen. Je moet dus als lezer het geduld opbrengen om te volharden en de essentie van het bijkomstige te onderscheiden. Tegelijkertijd kan je je vragen stellen bij de eeuwigdurende winter en de rol van katten in de gebeurtenissen in Iran.
De auteur beschikt zeker over de nodige literaire talenten maar dan moet hij minder overdadig zijn. De draad van het verhaal gaat vaak eens verloren door de overdaad aan feiten, gegevens, besprekingen,... Soms kan je teveel je literaire talenten etaleren. Te veel beschrijvend maakt het bijgevolg voor de lezer moeilijk om te kunnen spreken van een mooi beklijvend verhaal. Bovendien is het verhaal toch heel deprimerend, is het bijzonder moeilijk om je in het hoofdpersonage in te leven en versmachten de soms absurde fantasieën de kern van het verhaal. Of .... is er wel een kern van een verhaal? Met die vraag blijf ik wel zitten!
Araghi schreef hiermee zijn debuut. Zijn literaire gaven geven hem het voordeel van de twijfel en hopelijk wordt zijn volgende roman een echte hit zonder al te veel overdaad, met een duidelijk plot en verhaallijn waarbij je het boek met één ruk kan uitlezen en waar je op het einde met het 'wauw'gevoel zit. Juist dat voordeel van de twijfel verantwoordt de 3 sterren!
April 20, 2021
My Rating ~ 3.5*
The Immortals of Tehran by Ali Araghi has just been published April 15th in paperback format with Melville House. It is described as a book ‘exploring the brutality of history while conjuring the astonishment of magical realism, a novel about the incantatory power of words and the revolutionary sparks of love, family, and poetry—set against the indifferent, relentless march of time.’ Having never read a book about Iran or a book written by an Iranian author I was very intrigued by the premise of The Immortals of Tehran.
The book is set around the life of Ahmad Torkash-Vand and his extended family, as society at large changes, over the course of many years. Tragedy enters Ahmad’s life from a young age when he witnesses the death of his father. This event had a profound impact on Ahmad leaving him forever mute, never to speak of what he had seen, never to speak again. This sudden loss of speech was a frustration to others but Ahmad, using the written word was able to convey his thoughts and carry on conversations. The family patriarch was Agha, Ahmad’s great-great-great-great grandfather, and he lived on the family orchard in a tree. On the day of his father’s death, Agha recounts a story to Ahmad, one going back through generations, one that that revolves around cats and a curse that has followed the family through the years, inflicting bad luck and sadness to every generation.
‘Agha struck a match and turned on the samovar to make tea. Along with the muffled sounds of people working in the Orchard, some of the daylight came in around the edges of the tarp, which allowed Ahmad to see Agha’s bent figure in his pistachio sweater, old, but light and alive as if attached to the roots of the tree that drew life from the depths of the earth’
Years pass and Ahmad’s life changes beyond recognition. Having been driven out of their village home and into the city of Tehran, Ahmad’s grandfather, Khan, becomes obsessed with the fable of the cats and the associated curse. When seismic changes take place in their world there are always cats, many cats, in the greater picture. Could Agha’s old fairy-tale carry the truth?
Through revolt, revolution, politics and passion trauma seems to follow in the wake of Ahmad and his family as their own internal beliefs and ideals rip their relationships apart. Iran is a country that has suffered great upheaval. In 1941 Iran was occupied by British and Soviet troops and a new shah was placed in power, a man with more Western ideals and associations. Over the following years Ayatollah Khomeini was extremely vocal toward the new shah. There was much unrest in Iran with many demonstrations and rioting, eventually resulting in the exile of Ayatollah Khomeini from Iran. What followed was years of instability and dissatisfaction among many of the populace and Ayatollah Khomeini incited this unrest by dispatching recordings encouraging the destabilisation of the government of the time. In 1979 Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran after 15 years of exile.
Imbued with magical realism, Ali Araghi explores those turbulent years as witnessed by Ahmad Torkash-Vand and his family. Ahmad expresses his idealism and beliefs through poetry with words that are oft-times blacklisted yet also immersed in magic.
‘One night, his heart crumpling like paper, in a rare moment of pure and sincere creativity, Ahmad wrote the poem that became the apex of his art. The poem started to emit a strong light by the first line. Mid second line, a small flame fluttered from under the tip of Ahmad’s pen…’
At readings he speaks through another person and his words resonate with many. His collections become famous and his reputation spreads wide. His relationship with his grandfather is a very important element to the story as over the years they have many difficult conversations and disagreements and this filters through to their relationships with others.
The Immortals of Tehran is a sweeping and epic read. For someone like me who has no knowledge of the history of Iran it was quite a fascinating insight. Laced with symbolism throughout, there were sections of the book that were difficult for me to fully comprehend but I put that down to my own lack of knowledge about the past of this complex country. The author does include a family tree for Ahmad and his family at the beginning of the book which was very handy to keep tabs on the many characters as they were introduced.
The Immortals of Tehran is a book that will encourage the reader to look a little closer at Iran and its people. Ahmad is a very profound central protagonist. He has a very strong sense of what is right and wrong and is quite fearless in the decisions and path he chooses in life. Centring on social and political upheaval and unrest, while using magical realism throughout, Ali Araghi has written quite a unique, vivid and passionate debut.
The Immortals of Tehran by Ali Araghi has just been published April 15th in paperback format with Melville House. It is described as a book ‘exploring the brutality of history while conjuring the astonishment of magical realism, a novel about the incantatory power of words and the revolutionary sparks of love, family, and poetry—set against the indifferent, relentless march of time.’ Having never read a book about Iran or a book written by an Iranian author I was very intrigued by the premise of The Immortals of Tehran.
The book is set around the life of Ahmad Torkash-Vand and his extended family, as society at large changes, over the course of many years. Tragedy enters Ahmad’s life from a young age when he witnesses the death of his father. This event had a profound impact on Ahmad leaving him forever mute, never to speak of what he had seen, never to speak again. This sudden loss of speech was a frustration to others but Ahmad, using the written word was able to convey his thoughts and carry on conversations. The family patriarch was Agha, Ahmad’s great-great-great-great grandfather, and he lived on the family orchard in a tree. On the day of his father’s death, Agha recounts a story to Ahmad, one going back through generations, one that that revolves around cats and a curse that has followed the family through the years, inflicting bad luck and sadness to every generation.
‘Agha struck a match and turned on the samovar to make tea. Along with the muffled sounds of people working in the Orchard, some of the daylight came in around the edges of the tarp, which allowed Ahmad to see Agha’s bent figure in his pistachio sweater, old, but light and alive as if attached to the roots of the tree that drew life from the depths of the earth’
Years pass and Ahmad’s life changes beyond recognition. Having been driven out of their village home and into the city of Tehran, Ahmad’s grandfather, Khan, becomes obsessed with the fable of the cats and the associated curse. When seismic changes take place in their world there are always cats, many cats, in the greater picture. Could Agha’s old fairy-tale carry the truth?
Through revolt, revolution, politics and passion trauma seems to follow in the wake of Ahmad and his family as their own internal beliefs and ideals rip their relationships apart. Iran is a country that has suffered great upheaval. In 1941 Iran was occupied by British and Soviet troops and a new shah was placed in power, a man with more Western ideals and associations. Over the following years Ayatollah Khomeini was extremely vocal toward the new shah. There was much unrest in Iran with many demonstrations and rioting, eventually resulting in the exile of Ayatollah Khomeini from Iran. What followed was years of instability and dissatisfaction among many of the populace and Ayatollah Khomeini incited this unrest by dispatching recordings encouraging the destabilisation of the government of the time. In 1979 Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran after 15 years of exile.
Imbued with magical realism, Ali Araghi explores those turbulent years as witnessed by Ahmad Torkash-Vand and his family. Ahmad expresses his idealism and beliefs through poetry with words that are oft-times blacklisted yet also immersed in magic.
‘One night, his heart crumpling like paper, in a rare moment of pure and sincere creativity, Ahmad wrote the poem that became the apex of his art. The poem started to emit a strong light by the first line. Mid second line, a small flame fluttered from under the tip of Ahmad’s pen…’
At readings he speaks through another person and his words resonate with many. His collections become famous and his reputation spreads wide. His relationship with his grandfather is a very important element to the story as over the years they have many difficult conversations and disagreements and this filters through to their relationships with others.
The Immortals of Tehran is a sweeping and epic read. For someone like me who has no knowledge of the history of Iran it was quite a fascinating insight. Laced with symbolism throughout, there were sections of the book that were difficult for me to fully comprehend but I put that down to my own lack of knowledge about the past of this complex country. The author does include a family tree for Ahmad and his family at the beginning of the book which was very handy to keep tabs on the many characters as they were introduced.
The Immortals of Tehran is a book that will encourage the reader to look a little closer at Iran and its people. Ahmad is a very profound central protagonist. He has a very strong sense of what is right and wrong and is quite fearless in the decisions and path he chooses in life. Centring on social and political upheaval and unrest, while using magical realism throughout, Ali Araghi has written quite a unique, vivid and passionate debut.
April 15, 2021
I really didn’t know what to expect when I picked up this book, but I’m so glad I read it, I was transported into Ahmad’s world and his memorable family. When the book starts Ahmad is ten years old, living with his parents, sister and grandfather Khan, in a big house on their orchard. Ahmad’s life is changed forever on the day of his sister’s wedding when he is witness and unwilling participant in his father’s suicide. The trauma of this leaves him mute, communicating by pen and paper, which ultimately led him to become a poet; the beauty of words do not need to be spoken. In Tehran, Ahmad and his mother are seperated from his grandfather, who loses his business after the orchards he owns are destroyed, so not only are they in a new city but also they are no longer rich. Being mute, and not having had much of an education in his village, school in Tehran is a difficult time for Ahmad, he is highly intelligent but is bullied. However, his experiences make him a stronger person and we see him grow from boy to man, from son to husband to father and face all the hurdles life puts in his way. The family dynamics were fascinating and I loved learning more about the culture of Iran, the importance of family, and how the curse still effects the male members of the family especially Ahmed’s grandfather Khan who thinks cats are the portents of all that goes wrong. Probably the most fascinating character is Agha, Ahmad’s great great great great grandfather, who lives in a tree in the orchard and is travels around in a wheelbarrow, and the person everyone goes to for advice.
Part of the reason I love reading histrical fiction is because I enjoy learning something new, and as I know very little about Iran’s recent history. It was fascinating reading about the famine that tore through the country during and after the war, people tried to eat clothing resorting to boiling and eating hats. I also learned more about the political history, the revolution, the riots on the streets and the horrors of the prisons for those arrested for activism. Ali Arghi really captures the atmosphere of these times, the fear and desperation of the people, in a way that really brings the book to life. His writing also captures the personalities of his characters, for their good and bad, their dreams, their philosophies and how they change over time. The changing family dynamics are intriguing and full of emotion that Ari Araghi brilliantly conveys through his wonderful prose. The writing itself is beautiful, it flows with ease and really drew me in with it’s lyricism making this book such a pleasure to read.
I found The Immortals of Tehran to be a sweeping and epic read that had me captivated. The multi-generational family saga is compelling in its dynamics and shifting relationships over the period of the book. The backdrop of the War and the ensuing political turmoil, resulting in revolution, adds an anchor for all happens in the Ahmad’s life and that of his family. The added mystic element just adds a ‘je ne sais quoi’ to the story, giving it a bit of magic. It is hard to believe this is a debut novel as it is written and crafted with such skill; the characters so well drawn and with impressive knowledge of the period written about. This is an extraordinary book, that shows the importance and the power of the written word. Simply stunning!!!
Part of the reason I love reading histrical fiction is because I enjoy learning something new, and as I know very little about Iran’s recent history. It was fascinating reading about the famine that tore through the country during and after the war, people tried to eat clothing resorting to boiling and eating hats. I also learned more about the political history, the revolution, the riots on the streets and the horrors of the prisons for those arrested for activism. Ali Arghi really captures the atmosphere of these times, the fear and desperation of the people, in a way that really brings the book to life. His writing also captures the personalities of his characters, for their good and bad, their dreams, their philosophies and how they change over time. The changing family dynamics are intriguing and full of emotion that Ari Araghi brilliantly conveys through his wonderful prose. The writing itself is beautiful, it flows with ease and really drew me in with it’s lyricism making this book such a pleasure to read.
I found The Immortals of Tehran to be a sweeping and epic read that had me captivated. The multi-generational family saga is compelling in its dynamics and shifting relationships over the period of the book. The backdrop of the War and the ensuing political turmoil, resulting in revolution, adds an anchor for all happens in the Ahmad’s life and that of his family. The added mystic element just adds a ‘je ne sais quoi’ to the story, giving it a bit of magic. It is hard to believe this is a debut novel as it is written and crafted with such skill; the characters so well drawn and with impressive knowledge of the period written about. This is an extraordinary book, that shows the importance and the power of the written word. Simply stunning!!!
April 22, 2021
Ahmad and his family live in a delightful orchard in a little village in Iran. But on the day of his sisters wedding, Ahmad witnesses his father’s suicide; the trauma of which causes him to never speak again. But before he takes his life, his father imparts some words on Ahmad – words that make no sense, but will they in the future?
The story follows Ahmad and his family, as it grows through the generations, as they move from their little village to Tehran, experience loss and heartbreak, revolution, poverty, estrangement, love and marriage, political turmoil and the unexpected involvement of cats……
From fables to political instability, revolution and uprisings, and magical realism, this story will take you back to post World War II Iran and beyond, on a journey you wouldn’t expect…..
Starting this book I had no knowledge of the history of Iran and really enjoyed learning about the country and the terrible things it, and its people have been through. From famine to people eating hats, I definitely got more than I bargained for. The author has done such a fantastic job of really conveying the turmoil that the people experienced during the many unstable years that followed World War II; as well as adding in touch of blame on a group that you will not expect at all!
Ahmad is a fantastic central protagonist, and I really enjoyed growing with him from a young boy as he experienced first love, puberty, becoming responsible as the man of the house, coping with his muteness, his discovery of poetry, his political career, his marriage, his daughters and grandchildren – basically his whole life. But his family around him are also brilliant characters. I absolutely loved Agha, his seemingly immortal great-great-great-great-grandfather. Full of tales that no-one believes he just wants to enjoy life in his old age, but still has lots of wisdom to impart. Khan, Ahmad’s grandfather is also another favourite! And because we get to see Ahmad grow, we also get to see the same with the rest of his family. From births to marriages, and children of their own, you will become fully invested in the family for sure.
The story does flit about quite a bit. You can be reading about one person, then over to another, then be reading about the political events of the time, to then falling into the magical realism element, but I really enjoyed this and it kept me on my toes!
I’m surprised that this is the author debut. It is really well written, enjoyable to read and conveys the feelings of the characters perfectly. It appears that he has a fantastic understanding of the history of the country and gets this across perfectly too.
Overall, I really enjoyed this. The fact that one minute you’re reading something serious that has you reflecting on the people and what the country went through, to then be reading about the antics of the local cats, may sound strange but it works! So if you’re looking for something a bit different, with a fantastic historical background but with a brilliant touch of magical realism, and with a family you can invest in and follow through the generations, then this could be for you. Recommend by me.
The story follows Ahmad and his family, as it grows through the generations, as they move from their little village to Tehran, experience loss and heartbreak, revolution, poverty, estrangement, love and marriage, political turmoil and the unexpected involvement of cats……
From fables to political instability, revolution and uprisings, and magical realism, this story will take you back to post World War II Iran and beyond, on a journey you wouldn’t expect…..
Starting this book I had no knowledge of the history of Iran and really enjoyed learning about the country and the terrible things it, and its people have been through. From famine to people eating hats, I definitely got more than I bargained for. The author has done such a fantastic job of really conveying the turmoil that the people experienced during the many unstable years that followed World War II; as well as adding in touch of blame on a group that you will not expect at all!
Ahmad is a fantastic central protagonist, and I really enjoyed growing with him from a young boy as he experienced first love, puberty, becoming responsible as the man of the house, coping with his muteness, his discovery of poetry, his political career, his marriage, his daughters and grandchildren – basically his whole life. But his family around him are also brilliant characters. I absolutely loved Agha, his seemingly immortal great-great-great-great-grandfather. Full of tales that no-one believes he just wants to enjoy life in his old age, but still has lots of wisdom to impart. Khan, Ahmad’s grandfather is also another favourite! And because we get to see Ahmad grow, we also get to see the same with the rest of his family. From births to marriages, and children of their own, you will become fully invested in the family for sure.
The story does flit about quite a bit. You can be reading about one person, then over to another, then be reading about the political events of the time, to then falling into the magical realism element, but I really enjoyed this and it kept me on my toes!
I’m surprised that this is the author debut. It is really well written, enjoyable to read and conveys the feelings of the characters perfectly. It appears that he has a fantastic understanding of the history of the country and gets this across perfectly too.
Overall, I really enjoyed this. The fact that one minute you’re reading something serious that has you reflecting on the people and what the country went through, to then be reading about the antics of the local cats, may sound strange but it works! So if you’re looking for something a bit different, with a fantastic historical background but with a brilliant touch of magical realism, and with a family you can invest in and follow through the generations, then this could be for you. Recommend by me.
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