Using the lyrical magic realism style of classical Persian storytelling, Azar draws the reader deep into the heart 
of a family caught in the chaos that sweeps across an ancient land and its people in the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Exquisitely written, Azar is the consummate storyteller, using the panoply of Persian mythical and mystical entities to bring life, humour, hope, resignation, and profound insights to the characters and their world. 
It is simultaneously confronting and transcendent.

اشراق درخت گوجه سبز The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree: Farsi Edition (Iranian Languages Edition)

Literature & Fiction

Azar, Shokoofeh

Literary

Wild Dingo Press

The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree

An extraordinarily powerful and evocative literary novel set in Iran in the period immediately after the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Using the lyrical magic realism style of classical Persian storytelling, Azar draws the reader deep into the heart of a family caught in the maelstrom of post-revolutionary chaos and brutality that sweeps across an ancient land and its people. The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree is really an embodiment of Iranian life in constant oscillation, struggle, and play between four opposing poles: life and death; politics and religion. The sorrow residing in the depths of our joy is the product of a life between these four poles. "If ever there was a book that needs to be read more than once, this is it " -ArtsHub "This novel is an exciting development in Australian publishing." - ANZ LitLovers LitBlog "Living in the 21st Century is not for the faint hearted, so it's no surprise that writers of literary fiction are looking clear-eyed at schisms of times past and the capacity of humans for brutality. Stylistically similar to Eka Kurniawan's acclaimed Beauty is a Wound, this novel is set in the aftermath of Iran's Islamic Revolution of 1979. Many scenes, most memorably Azar's handling of Beeta's fate, blend heavy darkness with allegorical flights of imagination, marking the author as an assured fabulist. She brings to colourful life an extended family replete with beauty, humour, and tragedy.

The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree: A Novel

ReadHowYouWant

LONGLISTED 2020 INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE 
From the pen of one of Iran’s rising literary stars, The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree is a family story about the unbreakable connection between the living and the dead. 
Set in Iran in the decade following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, this moving, richly imagined novel is narrated by the ghost of Bahar, a thirteen-year-old girl, whose family is compelled to flee their home in Tehran for a new life in a small village, hoping in this way to preserve both their intellectual freedom and their lives. But they soon find themselves caught up in the post-revolutionary chaos that sweeps across their ancient land. Bahar’s mother, after a tragic loss, will embark on a long, eventful journey in search of meaning in a world swept up in the post-revolutionary madness. 
Told from the wise yet innocent gaze of a young girl, The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree speaks of the power of imagination when confronted with cruelty, and of our human need to make sense of trauma through the ritual of storytelling itself. Through her unforgettable characters, Azar weaves a timely and timeless story that juxtaposes the beauty of an ancient, vibrant culture with the brutality of an oppressive political regime.

Europa Editions

Set in Iran in the decade following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, this moving, richly imagined novel is narrated by the ghost of Bahar, a thirteen-year-old girl, whose family is compelled to flee their home in Tehran for a new life in a small village, hoping in this way to preserve both their intellectual freedom and their lives. But they soon find themselves caught up in the post-revolutionary chaos that sweeps across their ancient land. Bahar' s mother, after a tragic loss, embarks on a long, eventful journey in search of meaning in a world swept up in the post-revolutionary madness. Told from the wise yet innocent gaze of a young girl, The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree speaks of the power of imagination when confronted with cruelty and of our human need to make sense of trauma through the ritual of storytelling itself. Through her unforgettable characters, Azar weaves a timely and timeless story that juxtaposes the beauty of an ancient, vibrant culture with the brutality of an oppressive political regime.

Dreamscape Media

*SHORTLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE 2020**LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD 2020* “If ever there was a book that needs to be read more than once, this is it.”―ArtsHub “A book that keeps on giving.”―Brona’s Books “Extraordinary.”―The Irish Times “Compelling, delightful and powerful.”―David’s Book World A family story about the unbreakable connection between the living and the dead Set in Iran in the decade following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, this moving, richly imagined novel is narrated by the ghost of Bahar, a thirteen-year-old girl, whose family is compelled to flee their home in Tehran for a new life in a small village, hoping in this way to preserve both their intellectual freedom and their lives. But they soon find themselves caught up in the post-revolutionary chaos that sweeps across their ancient land and its people. Bahar’s mother, after a tragic loss, will embark on a long, eventful journey in search of meaning. The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree speaks of the power of imagination when confronted with cruelty, and of our human need to make sense of trauma through the ritual of storytelling itself. Through her unforgettable characters, Azar weaves a timely and timeless story that juxtaposes the beauty of an ancient, vibrant culture with the brutality of an oppressive political regime. "Not only richly imaginative but also emotionally powerful." - 1st Reading's Blog “Her novel ... embodies Iranian life in a state of constant “oscillation”, bringing into play “opposing poles” ― like life and death, religion and politics ... ― to evoke the extent of damage by an oppressive political regime.” - The Indian Express

The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree: SHORTLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE 2020

Contemporary

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Azar, Shokoofeh. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Azar, Shokoofeh

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Azar, Shokoofeh. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

اشراق درخت گوجه سبز The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree: Farsi Edition (Iranian Languages Edition)

The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree

The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree: A Novel

The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree: A Novel

The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree

The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree: SHORTLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE 2020