King of the Benighted

King of the Benighted was mailed out of Iran page by page. It is both a firsthand account of the hard realities of life under the Islamic Republic and a literary masterpeice by one of Iran’s best contemporary writers. The author has creatively combined modern techniques of fiction with the rich tradition of Persian poetry to tell a timeless tale. The novella invites the reader to join the flow of the artist’s imagination and to share moments in the life of a contemporary Iranian poet, including his imprisonment and incredible encounter with a younf prisoner called Sarmad. Should you want to know why Iran has become a nation of mourners, you might follow the poet where he has gone. King of the Benighted epitomizes a new emerging spirit in contemporary Persian literature and shows that despite Iran’s isolation today, its literature is very much part of the spirit sweeping the world. Included in this volume is an English prose rendition of the central metaphor of the novella, the 12th century poet Nizami’s “The Black Dome.” An insightful introduction by Nasrin Rahimieh and a perceptive afterword by the traslator reflect on the state of post-revolutionary Persian literature.