Savushun (A Persian Requiem)
Although we have been quite recently, our thoughts have been and remain with the women of Iran as they continue to fight for their freedom.
We encourage you to not forget their ongoing struggle and remember “Savushun (A Persian Requiem)’ the first widely published Persian novel written by a woman.
Simin Dāneshvar was born in 1921 in Shiraz, the birthplace of two of Iran’s most prominent classical poets, Hafez and Saad. The daughter of a doctor and a painter, Simin attended an English missionary school, publishing her first poem in the eighth grade.
In 1948, she moved to Tehran to study Persian literature at Tehran in 1948, and shortly afterwards published her first collection of short stories “Atash-i khamush (Fire Quenched)”, launching her into fame as one of Iran’s most prolific modern writers. In 1952, she travelled to the US to study creative writing at Stanford under a two-year Fulbright Fellowship. She returned to teach art history in Tehran University, writing about the various political and social issues in Iran, particularly the disparity between the rich and poor.
In 1969, she would publish ‘Savushun’ – the title referring to a Persian ancient ritual of mourning. Drawing on her experiences of the Allied occupation of Iran during World War II, Savushun was the first modern novel written by a woman and from a woman’s perspective. The novel exemplifies the pains of foreign occupation, and the death and mourning of the patriots that stood up to them. Zari, the main character, is torn between supporting her politically defiant husband in defending the people of Iran or choosing silence in exchange for the safety of her family.
Tackling themes of loneliness, duty, marriage, and rebellion, Savushun continues to be a hallmark of the tragedy and valour that characterises the history of Iran. It continues to be Iran’s most read book to date and has been reprinted more than twenty times.
Sources
https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/17/books/simin-daneshvar-iranian-author-and-translator-dies-at-90.html
yhttps://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/simin-daneshvar-cd8rtldm9k2
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/mar/22/simin-daneshvar
https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/culture-magazines/savushun-persian-requiem
https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/iran-under-pressure-again-what-a-50-year-old-persian-classic-tells-us-about-the-countrys-predicament-today/
https://www.iranchamber.com/literature/sdaneshvar/simin_daneshvar.php