The book
A powerful love story unfolds against the backdrop of a rapidly changing Iran
In the early 1920s in the remote village of Ghamsar, Talla and Sardar, two teenagers dreaming of a better life, fall in love and marry. Sardar brings his young bride with him across the mountains to the suburbs of Tehran, where the couple settles down and builds a home. From the outskirts of the capital city, they will watch as the Qajar dynasty falls and Reza Khan rises to power as Reza Shah Pahlavi. Into this family of illiterate shepherds is born Bahram, a boy whose brilliance and intellectual promise are apparent from a very young age. Through his education, Bahram will become a fervent follower of reformer Mohamed Mossadegh and will participate first hand in his country’s political and social upheavals.
Praise
“Parisa Reza reveals herself to be a marvelous storyteller [...], offering us one of the most beautiful texts written in the last 10 years.” —Gascogne FM (France)
“A ‘fable’ told by people from modest circumstances, of an Iran that we have not seen before. And a book that reveals above all beautifully written texts.”—United Fashion for Peace (France)
The author
Parisa Reza
Parisa Reza was born in Tehran in 1965 to a family of intellectuals and artists, and moved to France at the age of seventeen. She was awarded the Prix Senghor 2015 for her first novel, The Gardens of Consolation.
Reviews
- Jun 14 2017
The Meeting of Modernity and Tradition in Parisa Reza's The Gardens of Consolation
— Bookwitty - Apr 21 2017
Iranian Fiction
— The Times Literary Supplement - Feb 28 2017
The Gardens of Consolation by Parisa Reza
— Shiny New Books - Feb 24 2017
The Gardens of Consolation by Parisa Reza
— World Literature Today - Feb 1 2017
The Gardens of Consolation
— Historical Novel Society - Jan 17 2017
The Gardens of Consolation
— Barnes & Noble Review