Born in 1977 in Tehran, Amirhossein studied philosophy and physics, but later changed his area to computer engineering. He started writing fiction in 2004 and his short story “For Marcia, the Dear Scoundrel” ” won Ghalam-e Zarrin-e Zamaneh short fiction prize in 2007. Amir’s first collection of stories, The Portrait of the Incomplete Man (Cheshmeh, 2009) won two national book prizes, “Golshiri” and “Gam-e Avval”. His latest work Stutter (Ofoq, 2013), a political novel that occurs in Iran, Afghanistan and Azerbaijan, addresses the issues of neocolonialism and Western intervention in the region.
Stutter (2013)
Stutter
Ofoq Publications: 2012
Finalist of Bushehr Literary Award
Nominee of VAV Literary Award
Stutter begins with the writer’s confession – that he has not written the story of “Janavar”. It has actually been written by Aidin. Searching for the actual writer, he discovers white papers among the notes ascribed to the real writer, whence he embarks on a journey in search of the identity and concerns of the real writer who had once been a doctor in Tehran but has just passed away, leaving a mysterious testimony behind…
The second chapter traces the life and death of Mehrdad Naseri, Aidin’s son, and his last words with Mani, now an American citizen. As the writer, incapable of digesting the events and their relationship to each other, tries to set free of the discovered notes, a new sign is decoded, calling him to a second journey to Afghanistan, Bagram. By consequence, the writer is invited to a literary conference in Kabul and all the conditions for this mysterious journey are surprisingly met. He travels to Afghanistan, but that is just the beginning of a whirlwind of events opening up to him one after the other…
Portrait of the Incomplete Man
Portrait of An Incomplete Man
Cheshmeh, 2009
Amirhossein Yazdanbod’s debut book, Portrait of An Incomplete Man, is composed of eight short stories that, like scattered pieces of a puzzle, come to portray the character of Mehrdad Naseri. The stories are technically independent and maintain the autonomous form of a short story, yet they contribute to the formation of an incomplete account of his life. As we move on, the stories depart from the present life of Mehrdad Naseri.
The first two stories, ‘One Minute over White Cold Spindle’ and ‘I’ll Return Tomorrow’, are set in neighbor flats downtown Tehran, where the narrator’s matrimonial life is in contrast to their pregnant neighbor’s life and desires.
“The Shouter” is a portrayal of poverty and “For Dear Mean Marcia” probes into the life of college and student demonstrations that reveal a different aspect of Mehrdad Naseri’s past life.
“Something Like Sonia,” set in time of Mehrdad’s graduation festival, revolves around the character of his professor, and “Ultra Light” is based on dialogues between two girls at a Café, making guesses about Mehrdad and his company who had occupied the table just before them.
“I’ll Return Tomorrow” pursues the story of the pregnant woman from her own point of view and her fear of Caesarian. The intertextual “Still Yousef” offers a double reading of the Tabari History and Mehrdad Naseri’s pamphlet left in an omnibus.
“Janavar” is the story of Mehrdad’s grandfather, inspector Morteza Gholi Naseri as he is involved in a case of murder during the 1940s.
Yazdanbod offers a cubic portrait of his main character, through pieces that never come fully together to form a complete portrait.
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