The Blue Cover
Publisher
:
Denoël
Parution date
:
EAN
:
9782207261088
Number of pages
:
152
Description
Based on a true story, Le Trèfle bleu is set in Iran in the spring of 2004 in a small coastal village on the Caspian Sea. The time is the present, but the tragedy that plays out is shockingly ancient.
When her mother dies and then, soon after, her father has a mental breakdown and then disappears, young Âtefeh goes to live with her grandfather. Two war widows who live next door take her under their oddly protective wings, becoming preoccupied by the 10-year-old’s early signs of puberty. To protect her from the roving eye of the local judge and village religious leader, they hide her budding breasts by wrapping fabric tightly around her chest each morning before she goes to school. When they perceive more danger, they shave her head. They make rules, they give her advice. Nothing helps. In this society, without a strong father to protect her, Âtefeh is certain to be prey, predestined for degradation and disaster. The widows may be able to save her from the judge, but what can they do about the restless troupe of Bassidji militants who roam the area?
Nadji-Ghazvini spins a tale of what only too commonly can happen to women—to girls—in an Islamic state when they are said to have been soiled. The Blue Clover reads like a medieval morality play in a modern world without justice.
Author
Firouz Nadji-Ghazvini : Firouz Nadji-Ghazvini is an Iranian poet, novelist, essayist, and journalist living in political exile in Paris, where he makes a living as a press photographer. He is the author of two previous novels, Neige sur Téhéran (Denoël, 2000) and Les anges ne reviendront pas (Denoël, 2005).
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