In May 2007, I wrote about an Iranian novel by Simin Daneshvar, Savushun. I initially read the book to learn about Iran, which my government had identified as part of an “axis of evil.” The US had already bombed and invaded another country on this axis, Iraq, without provocation.
I would recommend Savushun to anyone. Daneshvar brilliantly renders Iran during World War II through the lens of her heroine’s expansive and beautiful consciousness.
3.25.2026