Song of a Captive Bird: A Novel

by Jasmin Darznik

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 an ode to female creativity under a patriarchy that repeatedly tries to snuff it out.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)

All through her childhood in Tehran, Forugh Farrokhzad is told that Persian 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. During the summer of 1950, Forugh’s passion for poetry takes flight—and 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 only grows 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—this haunting novel uses 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.

Praise for Song of a Captive Bird

“If poetry is emotion rendered incendiary, then Forugh Farrokhzad was made of fire. . . . Song of a Captive Bird is an unsparing account of the necessity and consequences of speaking out.”—BookPage

“Sometimes, simply choosing whom to love is a political act.”—Vogue 

“Forugh Farrokhzad’s short life brimmed with controversy and rebellion . . . .This feminist icon inspired Darznik’s imaginative debut.”—Ms.

• ISBN10: 0399182330
• ISBN13: 9780399182334
• Publish Date: 5 February 2019 (first published 13 February 2018)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Random House USA Inc
• Imprint: Ballantine Books Inc.
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 432
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780399182334

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Song of a Captive Bird is a fictionalized historical account based on the life of Iranian poet Forough Farrokhzad. Written by Jasmin Darkznik, released 13th February, 2018 by Random House Ballantine, it's 401 pages and available in all formats.
Though it is a fictionalized account, the author has clearly done exhaustive and meticulous research. The narrative is seamless and engaged me from the beginning. This was a really difficult book for me to read. As a westerner growing up in the 70s-80s, I was never directly confronted by the overwhelming sexism and casual cruelty experienced as a daily part of life of women in Iran in the early part of the 20th century.

Forough was an outspoken poet and activist during a time and place when women simply weren't given the option to be anything other than wives and mothers. Much of the narrative of this book centers on her childhood to young adulthood and her chafing anger at the harsh realities for women in pre-revolutionary Iran. I've read much of Farrokhzad's poetry after reading this book and it astounded me how razor sharp and strong and desperately sad much of it is even after 50+ years.

She was a fascinatingly complex, flawed, strong soul and Jasmin Darznik does credit to her life. This is not a book I will forget in a hurry.

Five stars

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

[layawaydragon]

So sorry! I really wanted to like this and finish it but, it just wasn't for me. Her homelife was so fucked up and I wanted to read her growing into brilliant poet and falling in love. It was just so dense and so much to take it. I wanted to, but I can't make myself finish it. Maybe another day.

[kalventure]

Review highlighted on Reader Voracious.

Breathtaking and powerful, Song of a Captive Bird is an incredible piece of literature. The novel transports the reader to Iran in the 1940s and 1950s and offers a fictionalized account of the life of Forugh Farrokzhad, a woman who disregarded tradition and found her voice through poetry.

I had a difficult time putting the book down, falling asleep with it in my hands two nights in a row. As a person not well versed in Iranian history or literature/poetry, I found myself captivated by Darznik's portrayal of Forugh and felt transported in time. The narrative flows like prose, and the fictionalized telling of Forugh's life is paired with the political and cultural issues of the time. It is clear that Darznik has conducted countless hours of research, and I learned a lot about Iran during the time period.

I really enjoyed Darznik's style of writing and exposition: foreshadowing that constantly hooked me back in and wanting to see what would happen next. In my opinion this style of writing is difficult to execute and rarely works, but as a person without prior knowledge of the source material it kept me engaged.

Themes are of freedom, friendship, love, pursuing that which brings you joy, and not silencing yourself. This novel brings to life a woman who inspired the feminist movement in Iran, and I cannot recommend this book enough.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher, Ballantine Books, for the digital arc in exchange for my honest review.