Song of a Captive Bird: A Novel

In her debut historical novel, Jasmin Darznik portrays the inspiring life of the renowned Iranian poet Forugh Farrokhzad. After escaping her oppressive childhood, which included a forced virginity test that proved calamitous, Forugh entered into a marriage that was doomed from the start. It was during this time that she discovered her passion and gift for writing poetry and became romantically involved with a powerful man who threatened to destroy Forugh’s future. Although Forugh’s honest, bold writing came at a high price, as she was thrust into a world of extreme ridicule from family, peers, and literary critics, she continued to push the boundaries of what was acceptable in her ruthlessly patriarchal society and became one of the most highly praised female poets in the history of Iran. With stunning detail and an excellently paced plot, Song of a Captive Bird offers a stirring portrait of Farrokhzad’s extraordinary life.

Darznik cleverly ties Farrokhzad’s work to the events in her life that inspired her writing by peppering lines from her poems throughout the novel. Though excessively dramatic at times, Darznik’s narrative is enticingly immersive, an ideal read for anyone who wants to explore a wide-range of feeling. At once intimate and accessible, Song of a Captive Bird is a lovely homage to a spirited woman worth remembering.