Shokoofeh Azar moved to Australia as a political refugee in 2011. She is the author of essays, articles, and children’s books, and is the first Iranian woman to hitchhike the entire length of the Silk Road. The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree, originally written in Farsi, was shortlisted for Australia’s Stella Prize for Fiction and is her first novel to be translated into English.
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Shokoofeh Azar
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Shokoofeh Azar’s The Enlightenment of The Greengage Tree has been shortlisted for the 2020 International Booker Prize
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“We, the people of Iran, are looking forward to the democratic future of Iran and the Middle East, and we are using all our power to bring this democracy into being.”
Latest reviews
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“Azar’s debut exudes fairy-tale charm that ultimately celebrates human and humane bonds unbroken even in death.”— Library Journal, “Best World Literature of 2020”, Nov 30 2020![]()
“Combing characters loosely drawn from her own life with a mélange of supernatural elements, Azar achieves a certain magical realist style that is rich without being baroque, amply lush without being weighed down by access."— Asymptote Journal, Jul 17 2020![]()
“Azar’s novel is sad, funny, poetic, moving and poignant all at once, a novel I would recommend without any reservations at all.”— Asian Review of Books, May 26 2020![]()
“The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree affirms again the adaptability, the veracity, the sheer power of the novel form.”— The Brooklyn Rail, Apr 7 2020![]()
“The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree is a book full of hope and human resilience in the face of unspeakable cruelty and intolerance.”— World Literature Today, Apr 7 2020![]()
“The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree is both a simple family story and a complex look at the nature of reality and imagination.”— The Winnipeg Free Press, Feb 15 2020![]()
“ The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree is a hugely ambitious book, blending familial drama with the history of a nation during a conflicted era...I appreciated Azar’s sense of scale throughout. Even more effective, and frequently heartbreaking, was the way Azar’s...— Words Without Borders, Jan 29 2020![]()
“ The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree is one of those miraculous books that not only has the power to send an arrow into your heart, it also makes you think.” Read the full review in Qantara— Qantara, Jan 20 2020![]()
“Shokoofeh Azar has found a brilliant way to use myth to record harsh truths about political and cultural upheaval.”—BookRiot— BookRiot, Jan 8 2020![]()
“Though steeped in grim political realities, the novel reads like a tall tale. [...] Azar strikes a remarkable balance between the fantastical and historical fact.”— Minneapolis Star Tribune, Jan 3 2020![]()
“Azar’s narrative exudes fairy tale charm driven by moments of deep connection that ultimately celebrate human and humane bonds unbroken even in death.”— Booklist (Starred Review), Nov 15 2019![]()
“The family’s struggles intertwine with magical happenings in the lives of others, and the spirit world populates as much of the novel as do the living. Nods to poetry and literature make the parables of The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree engaging, tantalizing, and memorable.”...— ForeWord Reviews, Nov 6 2019
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