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My Father's Notebook

Series: Canons
3.91 goodreads logo

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( 3,441 ratings, 291 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
My Father’s Notebook by Kader Abdolah follows the profound journey of Ismail, an Iranian Γ©migrΓ© in Holland, who grapples with the memories of his father, a deaf man passionate about Persian culture. Weaving through flashbacks, the novel delves into themes of language, exile, and the complex bond between father and son, casting light on Iran's vibrant but tumultuous history.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're intrigued by tales of exile, family bonds, and cultural history. This story intricately weaves personal narratives with political upheaval, offering a profound exploration of identity and communication across generations. If you appreciate richly layered stories that blend the personal with the political, this book may captivate you.

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A father-son tale set amid the tumultous history of twentieth-century Iran, written by a masterful Iranian novelist in exile.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

When he was a boy, Aga Akbar, the illegitimate, deaf-mute son of a Persian nobleman, travelled with his uncle to a cave on nearby Saffron Mountain. Once there, he was to transcribe a cuneiform inscription over three thousand years old.

Decades later, his son, Ishmael - a political dissident in exile - attempts to translate a notebook filled with a private language made from this ancient script... and in the process, tells his father's story, his own, and the story of twentieth-century Iran.

My Father's Notebook is at once a masterful chronicle of a culture's troubled voyage into modernity and the heart-rending, timeless tale of a son's enduring love.

Series: Canons

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  • My Father's Notebook
    When he was a boy, Aga Akbar, the illegitimate, deaf-mute son of a Persian nobleman, travelled with his uncle to a cave on nearby Saffron Mountain. Once there, he was to transcribe a cuneiform inscription over three thousand years old. Decades later, his son, Ishmael - a political dissident in exile - attempts to translate a notebook filled with a...
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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

This novel is lauded for its poignant and affectionate storytelling, capturing the longing for a lost homeland. It is characterised by its touching and amusing detail, blending the cadence of a fairy tale with the clarity of truth. The author's subtle and natural ease as a storyteller is highlighted, along with his ability to interweave Persian and Dutch literary elements effectively. This intricate and playful novel has been praised as a gift to English readers.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781786898982

Publisher: Canongate Books

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 04 November 2021

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Canongate Canons

Edition: Main - Canons

Contributors:

  • Translated by Susan Massotty

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 20.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 226g

Pages: 336

About the Author

Kader Abdolah (a pen name created in memoriam to friends who died under the persecution of the current Iranian regime) was born in Iran in 1954. While a student of physics in Tehran, he joined a secret leftist party that fought against the dictatorship of the shah and the subsequent dictatorship of the ayatollahs. Abdolah wrote for an illegal journal and clandestinely published two books in Iran. In 1988, at the invitation of the United Nations, he arrived in the Netherlands as a political refugee. He now writes in Dutch and is the author of novels, short stories and works of non-fiction.

Susan Massotty is a translator of Dutch into English. She has translated works by Kader Abdolah and Margriet de Moor, as well as Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl. She won the Vondel Prize for My Father's Notebook.

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