Song of a Captive Bird: A Novel

Song of a Captive Bird is a fresh interpretation of the life of Forough Farrokhzad, an iconic Iranian poet known for her intimate, often scandalous verse and her controversial personal life. Despite the intimacy and honesty of her poetry, she remains a mysterious figure, and through fiction, Jasmin Darznik fills in the gaps and brings to life an exceptional figure who broke boundaries as an Iranian woman and poet in the 1950s and 60s.I don’t often read historical fiction, so the concept of Song of a Captive Bird was novel to me -- a fictional account of a true historical figure, straddling the line between biography and fiction. As you read Song of a Captive Bird, it becomes clearer why the author chose this format and why it’s so effective in telling Farrokhzad’s story with the full emotional impact. In the author’s note, Darznik quotes E.L. Doctorow: “The historian will tell you what happened. The novelist will tell you what it felt like.” And it all makes sense — Darznik uses actual lines from Farrokhzad’s poems as the overarching framework, scattered throughout the novel and threaded together by an imagined personal story to fill in the gaps in a way that no Wikipedia article, news clipping, or even a full-fledged biographical account can. The fiction blends so seamlessly with the facts of her life that I found myself turning to Google several times to try to delineate between the two. It’s likely the closest we can ever get inside the mind and heart of Farrokhzad.Song of a Captive Bird also offers the refreshing perspective of an Iranian woman navigating the very real binds of patriarchy — virginity, marriage, reputation, etc. — while breaking with stereotypes. Farrokhzad is victimized by patriarchy but she’s also a successful, talented, cosmopolitan woman — the kind we don’t often see in Western narratives about women in the Middle East. Despite all the controversy and adversity she faced, she continued to live a life seen as shameless, even blasphemous, without apology. It’s what made the real figure so iconic and it’s what makes Song of a Captive Bird such a powerful book.Darznik’s prose is poetic in its own right — the writing is clear yet rich with meaning, and full of symbolism that’s fitting for a poet’s story, from blood reds to the green ink of Farrokhzad’s writing pen. Details of everyday life help flesh out Farrokhzad’s story, such as an early attempt for independence via dreams of opening a store, cooking with a contentious mother in law, and her early writing process, which started in secrecy and gradually grew bolder and unafraid. Some of the most heartfelt parts of the story are about Forough’s relationship with her son, for whom her husband takes full custody after their divorce. There’s a verse to go with that and it nearly brought me to tears:You’ll search for me in my wordsAnd tell yourself: my mother,That’s who she was.Overall, Song of a Captive Bird is an extremely moving, enjoyable book, and a novel way to tell a true story. I came away from it feeling like I knew Farrokhzad with an intimacy to match her poetry. This was my first book by Darznik and I look forward to reading more.

"Mine was a country where they said a woman's nature is riddled with sin, where they claimed that women's voices had the power to drive men to lust and distract them from matters of both heaven and earth...Because I was a woman, they wanted to silence the screams on my lips and stifle the breath in my lungs. But I couldn't stay quiet."I love to hear of unheard stories of women who fought bravely for women in history. I just finished Song of A Captive Bird, a new historical novel that chronicles and honors the life of famed Persian poet Forugh Farrokhzad, whose life and work paved the way for feminism in Iran.Farrokhzad grew up in Tehran in the 1940s and 1950s, married young and had a child, all while she was cultivating her voice in poetry. She soon had an affair, published her poetry, divorced and lost custody of her son. In the end she had to sacrifice almost everything including her life (she died tragically at the young age of 32) to oppose the oppressive ways that women were expected to live in Iran during her times. Her daring life was clearly as compelling as her poetry, which I absolutely loved!Sadly I can’t say the same for this book as a work of literature, but I was riveted by Farrokhzad’s harrowing journey to make a true life for herself as a modern woman and poet. This could have been an incredible historical novel, but there were too many shortcomings including too many lengthy descriptions that didn’t move the story forward and what I found to be a cumbersome writing style and narrative that jumped around and didn’t progress fluidly. Also Farrokhzad’s poetry was dropped in from time to time like a visitor rather than being woven into the story. I felt there was a disconnect between the poetry of the poet and the narrator who was telling the story, though they were both supposed to be her!Ultimately, for me, the book never really came alive and was missing a kind of life force energy, or soul, except during the parts where Farrokhzad was committed to a mental institution. The book started to break open midway, but then stalled again. It went through too many crests and troughs and inconsistencies to make it a great book! I felt the novel needed more work and editing to really make it a polished work of literature.Still, the life and work of Forugh Farrokhzad should be honored and I applaud this writer for bringing her tragic and empowering story to light. Farrokhzad bravely fought for the recognition of the lives of women in Iran and gave them a voice. For that reason alone, it’s worth reading."I'd lost my husband, my son, and, very nearly, my life. All that was left, the one thing that survived, but also the thing that pulled at me most fiercely, was my desire to write."

I fascinating story. I did not realize it was based on a true historical woman until about halfway through. I wondered how a first person narrative could carry on through the character's death, but it was very well handled. This is the second novel by this skilled young author. I will search for others!

I am reading Song of A Captive Bird for the second time now. Though there are many beautiful scenes in it which color my concept of another time and world I wish I understood better, though the author has intensely researched and richly portrayed the historical setting, though she has created a believable childhood and maturation for Forough Farokhzad, whose poetry I have long loved, it is undeniably a challenging book to read.Misogyny and the double standard that oppresses and penalizes women because of their gender is a part of our communal past and present, and it is our responsibility to understand it. Forough Farokhzad was a trailblazing feminist who shocked her patriarchal society into recognizing the power of her humanity. Jasmin Darznik, in her masterful use of fiction to convey a painful reality, has written a book to be read by all. She has created a powerful experience that reminds us how dangerous sexism can be, and inspires us to strive like Farokhzad and Darznik to sing.

This could have been a great book The storyline was there It was rich with events but I found myself detached from the main character she appeared to be very arrogant and distant I just felt a slight apathy about her situation

I knew nothing about this period of Irans history and had never heard of this writer but now feel much more understanding of the country and fascinated by Forough. A brilliant read

Great book. Lovely cover. I shall be reviewing in greater depth on my blog scribes galore on blogger.com.

Excellent book