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Kelidar

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Wikipedia article




'Kelidar' is a novel written by Mahmoud Dowlatabadi in Persian.'Sargozasht-e nasl-e tamam-shodeh', by Mohammad Baharloo, 1989, Tehran The novel consists of 10 books in 5 volumes.[http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/kelidar-novel 'Encyclopaeida Iranica'] The book was written in 15 years, and includes Iranian folkloric themes. 'Kelidar' has been translated into different languages.[http://www.ketabnews.com/detail-1082-fa-1.html About 'Kelidar'] 'Kelidar' refers to the name of a mountain and a village in Khorasan, where the events of the novel take place.

Plot



The story is about the life of a Kurdish family in Sabzevar, faced with the hostility of neighboring villagers despite cultural similarities. It is set against the highly charged political climate in Iran after World War II, between 1946 and 1949.[http://jayezeyeadabi.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=49&Itemid=8 Critics on 'Kelidar', by Sanaz Mojarrad]

Characters



"Illustrating the tragic fate of the Iranian peasantry and the nomadic tribes in a period of the power politics," and based on actual events, the novel follows the trials and tribulations of the Kalmii family, and is peopled with an array of supporting characters.

'Mrl'

Mrl is a young Kurdish girl from the Kalmii family.

'Abdus'

Mrl's father

'Delvar'

Mrl's fianc

'Belqays'

Mrls paternal aunt, the matriarch of the family and the linking thread for the novels events and characters, and her husband, 'Kalmii', have three sons and a daughter: 'Khan Moammad', 'Gol-Moammad', 'Beg Moammad', and 'iru'

'Sattr'

One of the supporters of Gol-Mohammad.

Critiques



From the Reviews



"Kelidar is the longest Persian novel written to date, and surely one of the finest. The present translation is of parts I and 2 only, which are sufficiently self-contained to make for satisfying reading and which also give a good idea of what the whole is like. (...) Doulatabadi's style is that of a traditional Persian storyteller, in that he constructs his tale in a linear fashion, speaks through an omniscient narrator, and uses a balanced mixture of narrative and dialogue. (...) One wishes that readers of English could also experience the pleasures of this novel." - 'William L. Hanaway, World Literature Today' [http://www.complete-review.com/reviews/iran/doulatm1.htm Complete Review]

References



Category:Iranian novels

Category:1977 novels

Category:Sabzevar

Category:Novels set in Iran

Category:Persian-language novels

Category:Iran in fiction

Category:Books about Iran

Category:Persian-language books

Category:Persian-language literature

Category:Iranian books

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