The Colonel

In this powerful novel, longlisted for the Man Asian Literary Award, Iranian writer/actor Dowlatabadi has created a vivid account of the changing political ideologies of Iran and their influence on the country's unceasingly oppressed citizens. The political and social history of Iran is depicted through the lives of the Colonel and his five children. This narrative technique allows Dowlatabadi to comment on the various regimes controlling the country and its people and to encompass a significant span of Iranian political history within the framework of his story. Through Dowlatabadi's skilled interweaving of cultural and historical references, events ranging from the Shah's regime to the 1979 revolution to the country's war with Iraq are portrayed through their impact on the family. The story of the Colonel's regrettable past unfolds alongside flashbacks detailing the disillusionment and suffering of his children.