Song of a Captive Bird
Book description
LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER • A spellbinding debut novel about the trailblazing Iranian poet Forugh Farrokhzad, who defied society’s expectations to find her voice and her destiny
“A complex and beautiful rendering of [a] vanished country and its scattered people, a reminder of the power and purpose of art, and…
Why read it?
2 authors picked Song of a Captive Bird as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
I enjoyed the presentation of the historical and biographical point of view in this book which follows Forough Farrokhzad from a forced marriage to her life as a poet and filmmaker. The poetry from Forough Farrokhzad itself is used to give insight into her thoughts and desires. Her poem "Sin" was one that I read and re-read at different points during the book because of how it intertwined with the narrative.
From Catori's list on diversity in womanhood.
This is a novel based on the life of Iran’s first modern feminist poet, Forough Farrokhzad. Her life was short – she died in 1967 at the age of 32 in a car accident – but her poetry, which we may categorize now as ‘confessional,’ scandalized Iranian society (think: Sylvia Plath). She suffered for it, alternately lauded and maligned by a society that was moving away from tradition. For her art, she was labeled insane and placed in a mental institution for a time, had her small son wrenched away from her by her husband’s family, and was treated with…
From Susanne's list on strong Iranian women.
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