“Kaveh Akbar Delivers a Wholly Unique Debut Novel” - Shondaland
Published: Jan 26, 2024In “Martyr!,” Cyrus battles with an addiction and becomes enamored by religion and all that it promises.
In his first novel, Martyr!, poet and educator Kaveh Akbar takes on addiction, religion, and displacement with a tender touch. None of these is a new subject for Akbar. He is also the author of the poetry collections Pilgrim Bell, Calling a Wolf a Wolf, and Portrait of the Alcoholic, which mine similar experiences.
The main character of Martyr! is Cyrus, an Iranian American poet whose biographical details bear a striking resemblance to Akbar’s. But (as Akbar shares below) his own life wasn’t the impetus for the novel, and some of the most important parts of Cyrus’ story, like losing his mother in the (very real) Iran Air Flight 655 tragedy, were fictionalized. Instead, Akbar set off on a strict course of reading to study narrative writing to craft the greater forces affecting Cyrus.
The impact of the tragedy on Cyrus’ father prompts questions about identity, survival, and the ways that we apply meaning to, well, anything. Along the way, there are poems from Cyrus, dream juxtapositions, and poignant meditations on some of the extremes of living.
Shondaland sat down with Akbar to talk about the differences between writing poetry and prose, the links between religion and addiction, and the point of reading at all.
Email: shelbi.e.polk@gmail.com
Phone: +1 (972) 904-7388
Linked In
InstagraM
Sign up for my newsletter if you want more on books, freelancing and travel.