Fear and Trembling

Fear and Trembling, a novel in six sections, was published in Tehran in 1968. Its setting is the Persian Gulf Coast–an area geographically isolated from the rest of Iran and influenced by the customs, rituals, and superstitions of Black Africa, India, and Arabia.
The episodes, occurring in and around a primitive village, are mostly symbolic and allegorical. In the harsh, cheerless environment of the Gulf, the sea, the sky, the sun and the moon appear ominous and full of foreboding. Elusive fears lurk in the villagers’ paths, threatening their precarious peace and safety.
In spite of its distant setting and allegorical mode, however, the novel deals with contemporary issues in Iranian politics. In particular, it prophetically warns its readers against sheepish submission to self-aggrandizing clergy (Section Two), as it cautions against blind surrender to the West (Section Six)–warnings that the people of Iran would have done well to heed.
A detailed critical introduction and bibliography also place Sa’edi in his cultural/literary context, and offer readers leads to further reading and study of this seminal writer.