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Winter in Tabriz
Gripping and atmospheric, Winter in Tabriz tells the story of four young people living in Iran in the 1970s during the months immediately prior to the revolution, and the choices they have to make as a result of the ensuing upheaval.
The lives of Damian and Anna, both from Oxford University, become enmeshed with two Iranians, Arash, a poet, and his older brother Reza, a student sympathetic to the problems of the dissident writers in Iran, who is also a would-be photojournalist, interested in capturing the rebellion on the streets.
The novel draws on Sheila Llewellyn’s own experience of living in Tabriz through the winter of 1978, during the last chaotic months before the revolution took hold in January 1979.
It is a powerful portrayal of the fight for artistic freedom, young love and the legacies of conflict.
The lives of Damian and Anna, both from Oxford University, become enmeshed with two Iranians, Arash, a poet, and his older brother Reza, a student sympathetic to the problems of the dissident writers in Iran, who is also a would-be photojournalist, interested in capturing the rebellion on the streets.
The novel draws on Sheila Llewellyn’s own experience of living in Tabriz through the winter of 1978, during the last chaotic months before the revolution took hold in January 1979.
It is a powerful portrayal of the fight for artistic freedom, young love and the legacies of conflict.
- GenresHistorical FictionIran
340 pages, Hardcover
First published June 24, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 22, 2021
Damian is young, highly educated and coming to terms with his own sexuality. After a degree from Oxford University, he’s in California learning about the great Persian poets when he falls in love with Arash, a young Iranian student. Arash’s brother Reza, a photographer, a dissident, insists on making sure Damian knows about the dark side of his homeland – the torture, the disappearances, the oppression and the corruption. He also ensures Damian knows that you can’t be an ‘out’ gay man in Iran without attracting the wrong kind of attention.
Anna has inherited her father’s house in Oxford and has taken in two visiting Iranian students who offer different perspectives about their homeland. She’s struggling with her loss and when the opportunity comes up to do a stint as an English teacher and poetry researcher at the University of Tabriz, she decides to go, not knowing that any sensible government would not be sending young poetry-loving romantic people into the eye of the impending storm. Change is coming; big change. And Anna and Damian are going to be changed forever.
I count myself extremely fortunate to have been to Iran, both for work and for a holiday. It’s an amazing country with a fascinating history, much of which is obscured by the current repressive regime. That’s not to say what came before was easy. The last Shah was not a nice man, but he was the west’s puppet. He swapped arms for oil and ran a repressive regime of secret police, torture and human rights abuses. Iran being Iran, a lot of resistance was through poets and artists. Dissident poetry – not two words you’d necessarily put together – played a big part in the resistance to his regime.
We get a multi-layered story. Anna in Oxford before Iran. Damian in California before Iran. Damian in Germany after Iran. Damian in Tabriz. Anna in Tabriz. It’s all muddled up together. For me, the greatest weakness of the book is the failure to give the different characters distinct voices. And, all that hopping about doesn’t always help to give great clarity.
I like the decision to put the story in Tabriz rather than Tehran or Qom where all the ‘big action’ was happening. Historic events are often better observed from a bit of a distance yet still within the country. I like the accounts of ‘normal’ life – going to buy bread, taking a tourist trip to Persepolis, visiting the tomb of Hafez in Shiraz (compulsory for all tourists, I think), trying to go to work even when no students are turning up to be taught. Getting security briefings from the mysterious Julia who tells them when they can go out, when to cover Anna’s hair, how to stay out of trouble.
There’s a lot of good in this book. I don’t recommend it to first-timers who don’t know about that time in Iran. I do, however, give a hearty recommendation to read it after you’ve done a bit of homework. My number one recommendation for a book to help understand Iran is always Kader Abdollah’s ‘The House of the Mosque’ which will take you through the 20th-century history of the country through the eyes of one extended family.
It’s a good book that could have been better if there were greater distinctions between the narrators’ voices but I still give it four stars and hope it sells well.
I read this book against the backdrop of the fall of Kabul and the frantic attempts of locals to escape the Taliban. It felt like absolutely the right time to be reading it. Playing ‘compare and contrast’ between Iran in 1979 and Afghanistan in 2021 was painful, and all the more disturbing because we know what happened in Iran and know what the Taliban did last time around. You could argue that a book set in the time before a major event that doesn’t touch too much on the ‘what happens next’ is missing the action, but I’d disagree. This is not so much about the calm before the storm – because it wasn’t very calm – but it does build up the sense of tension of the time before the powder keg was lit.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy.
Anna has inherited her father’s house in Oxford and has taken in two visiting Iranian students who offer different perspectives about their homeland. She’s struggling with her loss and when the opportunity comes up to do a stint as an English teacher and poetry researcher at the University of Tabriz, she decides to go, not knowing that any sensible government would not be sending young poetry-loving romantic people into the eye of the impending storm. Change is coming; big change. And Anna and Damian are going to be changed forever.
I count myself extremely fortunate to have been to Iran, both for work and for a holiday. It’s an amazing country with a fascinating history, much of which is obscured by the current repressive regime. That’s not to say what came before was easy. The last Shah was not a nice man, but he was the west’s puppet. He swapped arms for oil and ran a repressive regime of secret police, torture and human rights abuses. Iran being Iran, a lot of resistance was through poets and artists. Dissident poetry – not two words you’d necessarily put together – played a big part in the resistance to his regime.
We get a multi-layered story. Anna in Oxford before Iran. Damian in California before Iran. Damian in Germany after Iran. Damian in Tabriz. Anna in Tabriz. It’s all muddled up together. For me, the greatest weakness of the book is the failure to give the different characters distinct voices. And, all that hopping about doesn’t always help to give great clarity.
I like the decision to put the story in Tabriz rather than Tehran or Qom where all the ‘big action’ was happening. Historic events are often better observed from a bit of a distance yet still within the country. I like the accounts of ‘normal’ life – going to buy bread, taking a tourist trip to Persepolis, visiting the tomb of Hafez in Shiraz (compulsory for all tourists, I think), trying to go to work even when no students are turning up to be taught. Getting security briefings from the mysterious Julia who tells them when they can go out, when to cover Anna’s hair, how to stay out of trouble.
There’s a lot of good in this book. I don’t recommend it to first-timers who don’t know about that time in Iran. I do, however, give a hearty recommendation to read it after you’ve done a bit of homework. My number one recommendation for a book to help understand Iran is always Kader Abdollah’s ‘The House of the Mosque’ which will take you through the 20th-century history of the country through the eyes of one extended family.
It’s a good book that could have been better if there were greater distinctions between the narrators’ voices but I still give it four stars and hope it sells well.
I read this book against the backdrop of the fall of Kabul and the frantic attempts of locals to escape the Taliban. It felt like absolutely the right time to be reading it. Playing ‘compare and contrast’ between Iran in 1979 and Afghanistan in 2021 was painful, and all the more disturbing because we know what happened in Iran and know what the Taliban did last time around. You could argue that a book set in the time before a major event that doesn’t touch too much on the ‘what happens next’ is missing the action, but I’d disagree. This is not so much about the calm before the storm – because it wasn’t very calm – but it does build up the sense of tension of the time before the powder keg was lit.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy.
August 3, 2021
Winter In Tabriz by Sheila Llewellyn was published June 24th with Sceptre and is described as ‘gripping and atmospheric’. The novel draws on Sheila Llewellyn’s own experience of living in Tabriz, through the winter of 1978, during the last chaotic months before the revolution took hold in January 1979.
The history of Iran is very much unknown to me but in recent times I have watched Joanna Lumley and Anthony Bourdain both convey their own thoughts and feelings about the country in their respective television programmes. I was very taken aback by the beauty of many of the locations featured but I also found it a little disconcerting at times. Earlier this year I read the unique and passionate The Immortals of Tehran by Iranian author, Ali Araghi, which centred on the social and political upheaval and unrest in Iran. Using magical realism, Ali Araghi explores the turbulent years of the revolution and gave me a unique insight into those chaotic years of Iran’s chequered history. What is very interesting is that both Ali Araghi and Sheila Llewellyn focus on characters with literary and poetic backgrounds as their main protagonists.
Winter in Tabriz was a novel I was very much looking forward to as I knew from the outset that I was about to experience a very authentic novel. The major appeal for me was that Sheila Llewellyn lived in Tabriz in the 1970s so this book was written from first-hand knowledge. Although a fictional novel, Winter in Tabriz reads like a memoir.
Damian is UK born, to Irish parents, and following his studies in Oxford he takes up a six-month research position in Berkeley University, California. Damian has struggled for years with his sexuality. As an academic achiever he was left alone, with no expectations on him to bring home a girlfriend and this protected him in his school going years. In Oxford there was more acceptance of the gay community among his peers but Damian kept a very discreet profile. Going to Berkeley felt like a good move for Damian opening up possibilities for him but Damian did not live what he terms ‘the gay Bay life’ and soon the loneliness impacted his days. A chance meeting on Berkeley campus with Arash, an Iranian poet, changes the course of Damian’s life forever.
“The Berkeley gay scene was lively, and San Francisco, the gay centre of the world, was only half an hour away. Underneath all my dismissive bravado about ‘the gay Bay life’, I was pathetically lonely. So I think I can rightly say I was a mess until I met Arash”
Arash was a postgrad student at Berkeley in library information services, following his studies of Persian literature at university in Tabriz and other work experience that facilitated this opportunity to study in the US. The connection between Damian and Arash was instant and, although they remained careful in public, when together their relationship blossomed into something very unique. Arash and Damian were both sensitive individuals with a common passion for words. They discovered each other and fell in love. But Arash had to return to Iran, to Tabriz and Damian made the difficult decision to pack his bags and follow him. Both knew that they would face insurmountable and extremely dangerous obstacles in Tabriz but they really had no concept of how bad things would get. Arash’s brother Reza is very much in touch with the political situation in Iran. He is aware of the growing relationship between his brother and Damian and is rightly concerned for their safety.
As unrest raised its head and the voice of Ayatollah Khomeini got louder, a new order was forming and Iranian society was set to embark on a very turbulent path.
During his time in Tabriz, Damian was to have a new housemate, Anna, also an Oxford grad. Anna has her own story to tell, which is recounted in diary form through the novel, tainted with an emotional resonance.
“She didn’t get to Tabriz until March 1978, six months or so after me, but her reasons for finding herself there have a surprising resonance with mine. Strange both of us starting off in Oxford at roughly the same time, Anna two years before me, and then the two of us ending up in Tabriz sharing the same house. Not exactly the Oxford glittering-prize career path expected of either of us. And by the sound of it, it was a similar random set of choices to mine that led her there”
As Anna settled into her new life as a researcher at the university she soon realised that life for women in Tabriz and Iran was going to change in extraordinary fashion. Where one could previously meet friends, uncovered and without fear, now Anna was warned to cover up and be mindful of where she went at all times. Work in the university was sparse and Anna began to wonder was this move a wise one. For personal reasons she had needed this change to her structure, her day, but was Iran a prudent move during such turbulent times?
Through the use of journal entries and memories, Sheila Llewellyn brings Damian, Anna, Arash and Reza very much alive to the reader. Winter in Tabriz documents the dramatic change, the fear, the instability and the horror for many during those inciteful days of Iran’s revolution. Winter in Tabriz is an extraordinary novel about a prohibited love, exceptionally atmospheric on every page. The literary world is incredibly depicted as its words became a source of danger for those holding the pen. A remarkable tale, Winter in Tabriz is an intense reading experience capturing a period of history that changed Iran forever. An eloquent and passionate novel, Winter in Tabriz will remain with me for some time. Quite simply beautiful….
The history of Iran is very much unknown to me but in recent times I have watched Joanna Lumley and Anthony Bourdain both convey their own thoughts and feelings about the country in their respective television programmes. I was very taken aback by the beauty of many of the locations featured but I also found it a little disconcerting at times. Earlier this year I read the unique and passionate The Immortals of Tehran by Iranian author, Ali Araghi, which centred on the social and political upheaval and unrest in Iran. Using magical realism, Ali Araghi explores the turbulent years of the revolution and gave me a unique insight into those chaotic years of Iran’s chequered history. What is very interesting is that both Ali Araghi and Sheila Llewellyn focus on characters with literary and poetic backgrounds as their main protagonists.
Winter in Tabriz was a novel I was very much looking forward to as I knew from the outset that I was about to experience a very authentic novel. The major appeal for me was that Sheila Llewellyn lived in Tabriz in the 1970s so this book was written from first-hand knowledge. Although a fictional novel, Winter in Tabriz reads like a memoir.
Damian is UK born, to Irish parents, and following his studies in Oxford he takes up a six-month research position in Berkeley University, California. Damian has struggled for years with his sexuality. As an academic achiever he was left alone, with no expectations on him to bring home a girlfriend and this protected him in his school going years. In Oxford there was more acceptance of the gay community among his peers but Damian kept a very discreet profile. Going to Berkeley felt like a good move for Damian opening up possibilities for him but Damian did not live what he terms ‘the gay Bay life’ and soon the loneliness impacted his days. A chance meeting on Berkeley campus with Arash, an Iranian poet, changes the course of Damian’s life forever.
“The Berkeley gay scene was lively, and San Francisco, the gay centre of the world, was only half an hour away. Underneath all my dismissive bravado about ‘the gay Bay life’, I was pathetically lonely. So I think I can rightly say I was a mess until I met Arash”
Arash was a postgrad student at Berkeley in library information services, following his studies of Persian literature at university in Tabriz and other work experience that facilitated this opportunity to study in the US. The connection between Damian and Arash was instant and, although they remained careful in public, when together their relationship blossomed into something very unique. Arash and Damian were both sensitive individuals with a common passion for words. They discovered each other and fell in love. But Arash had to return to Iran, to Tabriz and Damian made the difficult decision to pack his bags and follow him. Both knew that they would face insurmountable and extremely dangerous obstacles in Tabriz but they really had no concept of how bad things would get. Arash’s brother Reza is very much in touch with the political situation in Iran. He is aware of the growing relationship between his brother and Damian and is rightly concerned for their safety.
As unrest raised its head and the voice of Ayatollah Khomeini got louder, a new order was forming and Iranian society was set to embark on a very turbulent path.
During his time in Tabriz, Damian was to have a new housemate, Anna, also an Oxford grad. Anna has her own story to tell, which is recounted in diary form through the novel, tainted with an emotional resonance.
“She didn’t get to Tabriz until March 1978, six months or so after me, but her reasons for finding herself there have a surprising resonance with mine. Strange both of us starting off in Oxford at roughly the same time, Anna two years before me, and then the two of us ending up in Tabriz sharing the same house. Not exactly the Oxford glittering-prize career path expected of either of us. And by the sound of it, it was a similar random set of choices to mine that led her there”
As Anna settled into her new life as a researcher at the university she soon realised that life for women in Tabriz and Iran was going to change in extraordinary fashion. Where one could previously meet friends, uncovered and without fear, now Anna was warned to cover up and be mindful of where she went at all times. Work in the university was sparse and Anna began to wonder was this move a wise one. For personal reasons she had needed this change to her structure, her day, but was Iran a prudent move during such turbulent times?
Through the use of journal entries and memories, Sheila Llewellyn brings Damian, Anna, Arash and Reza very much alive to the reader. Winter in Tabriz documents the dramatic change, the fear, the instability and the horror for many during those inciteful days of Iran’s revolution. Winter in Tabriz is an extraordinary novel about a prohibited love, exceptionally atmospheric on every page. The literary world is incredibly depicted as its words became a source of danger for those holding the pen. A remarkable tale, Winter in Tabriz is an intense reading experience capturing a period of history that changed Iran forever. An eloquent and passionate novel, Winter in Tabriz will remain with me for some time. Quite simply beautiful….
September 29, 2021
I am from Tabriz and listened to this book during a vary emotional visit to Tabriz. It describes the life of two British students whose life took them to Iran, Tabriz in 1977 and 1978. In addition to life events, this book mentions major events leading to Iran's revolution.
The story is romantic, enjoyable. Details are described carefully in a way that you can picture clearly every scene in your mind.
There are several brilliant quotes in the book, especially when Tabriz in being destroyed (in abstract way) by Tabrizi people! (I cannot remember the exact quote!)
All in all, whether you know about Iran/Tabriz or not, the story and the quality of writing will attract you.
The story is romantic, enjoyable. Details are described carefully in a way that you can picture clearly every scene in your mind.
There are several brilliant quotes in the book, especially when Tabriz in being destroyed (in abstract way) by Tabrizi people! (I cannot remember the exact quote!)
All in all, whether you know about Iran/Tabriz or not, the story and the quality of writing will attract you.
October 17, 2025
Slowwwww burner. But v interesting and intense.
August 30, 2024
Winter in Tabriz transports readers to Iran during the tumultuous months leading up to the revolution of 1979. Through the intertwined lives of four young individuals—Damian and Anna from Oxford University, and Arash and Reza, two Iranian brother—Llewellyn paints a vivid portrait of a country on the brink of profound change.
The novel draws on Llewellyn’s own experiences of living in Tabriz during the winter of 1978, offering readers a glimpse into the social and political upheaval that preceded the revolution through the eyes of a foreigner. Damian, a young academic, moves to Tabriz to be with his love, Arash, and embarks on a journey that will forever alter the course of his life. Meanwhile, Anna, grappling with her own personal losses, takes a job in Tabriz to get away from her home life in Oxford.
The heart of this story is ultimately about the “forbidden” love between Damien and Arash who are kept apart by the unaccepting culture around them. At times the story felt like it lacked a strong direction or plot, however it was an atmospheric novel that made up for a lack of clarity with its rich historical detail. I really enjoyed learning more about what life in Iran must have been like in those years leading up to the revolution. And it was interesting to see the events unfold from through the eyes of foreigners living there at the time.
As someone very curious to learn more about my culture and family history, I really enjoyed getting to read this. Do you have any other recommendations of books written about this time?
The novel draws on Llewellyn’s own experiences of living in Tabriz during the winter of 1978, offering readers a glimpse into the social and political upheaval that preceded the revolution through the eyes of a foreigner. Damian, a young academic, moves to Tabriz to be with his love, Arash, and embarks on a journey that will forever alter the course of his life. Meanwhile, Anna, grappling with her own personal losses, takes a job in Tabriz to get away from her home life in Oxford.
The heart of this story is ultimately about the “forbidden” love between Damien and Arash who are kept apart by the unaccepting culture around them. At times the story felt like it lacked a strong direction or plot, however it was an atmospheric novel that made up for a lack of clarity with its rich historical detail. I really enjoyed learning more about what life in Iran must have been like in those years leading up to the revolution. And it was interesting to see the events unfold from through the eyes of foreigners living there at the time.
As someone very curious to learn more about my culture and family history, I really enjoyed getting to read this. Do you have any other recommendations of books written about this time?
April 24, 2022
Read the full review at https://talesfromabsurdia.com/book-re...
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Set against the backdrop of the 1978/9 Iranian Revolution, Winter in Tabriz by Sheila Llewllyn is a truly remarkable novel.
It's passionate, packed with beautifully written prose, and possesses a gut-punching ennui that lasts for quite some time once the final page has been turned.
The amount of research that has gone into this novel – which Llewellyn reveals in the appendices – is simply staggering. Llewellyn even draws upon her own experiences as a Westerner abroad in Iran during this exact period.
And it shows – this is a novel that is highly authentic. It rewards its reader with a rich understanding of the cultural politics of a nation.
It is, in a single word, remarkable.
Seriously – do not sleep on this book. It’s fantastic.
_______________________
Set against the backdrop of the 1978/9 Iranian Revolution, Winter in Tabriz by Sheila Llewllyn is a truly remarkable novel.
It's passionate, packed with beautifully written prose, and possesses a gut-punching ennui that lasts for quite some time once the final page has been turned.
The amount of research that has gone into this novel – which Llewellyn reveals in the appendices – is simply staggering. Llewellyn even draws upon her own experiences as a Westerner abroad in Iran during this exact period.
And it shows – this is a novel that is highly authentic. It rewards its reader with a rich understanding of the cultural politics of a nation.
It is, in a single word, remarkable.
Seriously – do not sleep on this book. It’s fantastic.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews