Date in Azar

This book is the product of Many efforts, facing rejection, confronting lies, enduring censorship, and enduring significant suffering. These texts differ greatly from those printed on the back cover of the first edition released in Iran, primarily because now, residing in a foreign country, and I am beyond the reach of certain ministries that once censored my forlorn poems.

As some of my friends are aware, I completed this book in 2020, but it was published in Iran in 2023, following the release of the "Grandfather's Paradox Theory" book. Why? As you are aware, in Iran, censorship is the spice of book printing, of course, if the author has the chance to convince and satisfy a publisher after many attempts, and after making a thousand pleas and begging.

Right from its inception, this book faced issues with the initial publisher. False promises, lies (ranging from the unavailability of the cover designer to disputes between the publisher and the designer), and much harassment compelled me to switch publishers after a year of running. Subsequently, the second publisher, recommended by one of my friends, also harassed me greatly. I heard words with these ears that I blamed myself for every day; why should I have to beg these so-called intellectual individuals, who cloak themselves in feminist garb (I have nothing to do with any -isms), while their Instagram posts differ from their actions a thousand times, to publish my wretched book with my own money!?

But the challenges persisted. Even foreign publishers, upon learning of my Iranian background, cited Iran's embargo as a reason to refuse collaboration. In short, this forlorn book finally saw the light of day in 2023, published in Iran by the same feminist publisher, and reached the hands of some friends and acquaintances. It sold reasonably well at the Tehran Book Fair, but...

The journey is fraught with ifs and buts, yet I don't want to keep you waiting any longer to read these poems, now resting on the screens of your mobile phones and laptops.