These Crazy Nights (Persian Edition)

To hear and see the parts of the world that are obscured from the West, you need to hear about it from someone who lived there. That’s why we read, novels, short stories and history books – and Moniro Ravanipur is a master of those forms. She was born in Bushehr in the south of Iran, and has written a number of books describing the lives, culture and mores of her childhood. Her books were published in Iran after the Revolution. This latest book, ‘These Crazy Nights’ (Shabhai Shuranganiz) was published by Amazon, in Farsi. Like Amazon, it is a bridge that brings those nights, the times of the Iran-Iraq War (the war of righteousness) and how life was lived then, to us. Ravanipour pictures external and internal forces were that weighed on the narrator, a nurse from Shiraz; just as she encountered the forces of storms and superstition in her first book, “Kanizu”, that affected her as a young girl, now she encounters the bombing, the protracted fear and growing power of the military and religious forces during the war with Iraq in her main character, a night nurse. Uncertainty and belief play on the lives of the wounded in the hospital where the night nurse works, the nurse herself and the other workers around her. She encounters young men, old men, men who have faith and not , at a time when no one knows whether the country will survive. She uses her sense of psychology, her ability to play a role that she knows will keep her safe in the chess game being played between those with power in society and those without, and especially, uses her femaleness as a power against the male-dominated ‘guardians’ of the Revolution.She herself is finally arrested in her home and taken for questioning. She is ultimately freed, but knows that she will not be free from the surveillance of neighbors, from the man she first encountered in the hospital and who now works for the police. She has to flee the country and leave everything she knows - and she goes to the US where she finally feels she can breathe freely. Because of mounting political difficulties between the leaders of Iran and the US, the flow of books, movies, poetry, art and people between the two countries has slowed from a river to a rivulet and then to a trickle. At the same time, it is technically possible to publish books or movies from anywhere in the world. Knowing you can buy this book on here on Amazon means you can still hear the voices of Iran.

In this poignant and absolutely honest novel, Ravanipour has taken numerous scenes and moments of the life of a young woman who is working as a night shift nurse during the early years of Iran-Iraq war and masterfully woven them into this bitterly real and beautiful narrative. She exquisitely portrays the very rare moments of joy and the numerous long days and nights of pain in an eight-act play about Maryam’s life, from one peaceful orange blossom scented evening in Shiraz before the Revolution, to the deep dark nights of fear and blood in early years of the war in Tehran to one high-spirited warm evening of Bellagio water show in Las Vegas. With the author’s obvious personal investment of experience into this splendidly well-written story, this is a truthful report of the history of a generation of Iranians who had to deal with the upheavals of a revolution, the misery of an unexpected war and the pain of an obligatory immigration. Ravanipour’s open and blunt account in this novel strongly resonates with countless Iranian women of my generation who found their goals, wishes and dreams all shattered by the painful events that came one after another during the past 40 years. I believe this book will be a perfect historical reference for the future generations; those who want to get a clear and sincere image of those years.

One of the most brilliant books by Moniro Ravanipour so far. These Crazy Nights takes the reader on a journey through years of war, despair and ambiguity. It unravels how Iran's revolution followed by eight years of war affected the minds and habits of its people. The characters, especially the patients, are unique, yet real. Coming from different backgrounds, they have to tolerate each others' perspectives towards politics and life in general.This book is a must for anyone who can read in Persian and would like to enjoy contemporary Persian literature.

The way that the author writes his book is so boring. His writing style is not interesting. Make the reader tired. I don’t enjoy reading this book at all. Waste of my money and time.so disappointed. I don’t think I can read it at the end. No recommend

داستاني كه سي وشش سال با نويسنده زندگي كرد.This story has lived with the author for 36 years, can't wait to read it.Thank you

Poorly written

One of the best books that I read in my life.

Really crazy and a good read.

It's great

It is an amazing novel!

Loved the story. So much to tell about the history of Iran.