This week I am previewing my Wednesday “Review and Free Giveaway” with an interview with the author. I so loved Mahbod Seraji’s Rooftops of Tehran, I immediately emailed him as soon as I finished his novel. Happily, he responded promptly and agreed to not only answer all of the following questions, but generously offered multiple copies for my weekly give-away (I really did not want to give away my copy – whew!) J
Kristen Galles: I noticed in your “Dear Reader” note at the end of Rooftops of Tehran that you described writing as “more satisfying than anything else I’d ever done.” What about writing affects you so deeply? Did writing this first novel come easily?
Mahbod Seraji: First, I’d like to thank you for this interview and your wonderful review of ROOFTOPS OF TEHRAN. As for the writing experience, there is a magical feeling associated with creating a story, developing characters, building an entirely imaginary world that looks, feels, sounds and smells real. That creative process in the course of writing, especially when it all comes together and feels right, is quite exhilarating. To be honest, writing doesn’t come easy to me – ideas do. I have a notebook full of story ideas — but I have to work hard to get the voice right, to find the right words, to make sure that I don’t rush things.
KG: You cite White Fang as a novel that helped ignite your passion for reading. For those of us who love reading about Iran, what other novels or novelists would you recommend and why?
MS: I know you asked just about the novels or novelists but please let me speak to the non-fiction books as well. And most of these, by the way, are also listed in the Recommended Reading section at the end of ROOFTOPS OF TEHRAN. On the non-fiction side, I love Stephen Kinzer’s ALL THE SHAH’S MEN, and Reese Erilch’s THE IRAN AGENDA. Both give accurate pictures of the pre and post revolution Iran. Other non-fiction books which I like, and this is not an all inclusive list by any means, have been written by Professor Ervand Abrahamian, Afshin Molavi, Christiane Bird, and Richard Frye. On the memoirs and novels side, I like FUNNY IN FARSI by Firoozeh Dumas, the book is absolutely hilarious. I enjoyed READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN – a very rich, literary memoir; STRANGE TIMES, MY DEAR, I even love the title; Anita Amirrezvani’s THE BLOOD OF FLOWERS, VEIL OF ROSES by Laura Fitzgerald, MY UNCLE NAPOLEON, by Iraj Pezeshkzad, FORTUNE CATCHER by Susanne Pari, and of course SAVUSHUN by Simin Daneshvar or any book by Sadegh Hedayat. I can go on and on…
KG: I have a good friend who was born in Iran, moved as a boy, and has lived in the U.S. for thirty years. He, too, still feels connected to Iran. Other than visiting your father, what specifically about your home country draws you back? What aspects of Iran do you specifically miss now that you live in the U.S.?
MS: Many things, but first and foremost the Iranian people; Iranians are warm and lovely, hospitable and friendly, and caring and passionate people. There is a sense of pride in being an Iranian that has its roots in the country’s 2,500-year history, which by the way, somehow every Iranian regardless of their education is aware and conscious of. I’ve never been in a country where the national identity of its people is so closely tied to its history, as it is in Iran. Also the country is just incredibly beautiful. From the lush Caspian Sea region to the more desert-like central part, to the shores of the Persian Gulf, and the mountainous areas in the west and the north, it’s just a beautiful landscape. Many people have a misconception of Iran’s geography as a dry, barren, all-desert like land, and it’s not like that at all.
KG: You have stated that Pasha, the narrator, is you in many respects. Any significant ways that you differ from Pasha? Would you continue to have autobiographical elements in future novels? Is it important to you to “write what you know” or will you venture into unfamiliar territory?
MS: Well, I like to think that Pasha is in many ways how I was when I was younger: an observer and student of life; always listening, paying attention to others, taking the world in for the sake of learning – so Pasha and I have a lot in common in that sense. But I intentionally made Pasha dry in order to get the maximum out of Ahmed on the humor side. Incorporating my personal experiences in writing was an interesting challenge. I felt uncertain as how far I could push that without crossing into writing a memoir. And given that in some ways I am a very private person, certain aspects of my family life were disguised or represented differently in the book. As to whether I would ever venture into the unfamiliar areas, yes – I really would like to write a mystery someday – I think that comes from watching too many Hitchcock movies!
KG: I loved that Rooftops of Tehran was not only a romance, but was more accurately about “love” – love between friends and family, love for reading and language, and love for one’s birth country, despite great ambivalence. Did you begin this novel with the desire to write about all these types of love or did one of these topics lead you to write about the others?
MS: Absolutely, and what a great question! I wanted to portray a side of Iran that’s not always accurately represented in the media and which is counter intuitive in some sense because of thirty years of politically motivated vilification of the country and its people. The notion that teenagers in Iran are not that different than the teenagers here, or the fact that Iranian parents love their kids just the same as the parents in the rest of the world, or that friendships and loyalty between individuals can be deep and profound, shouldn’t be surprising to anyone, but somehow, it is. And that’s really what I wanted to do – focus on those universal experiences that people everywhere associate with – and the response has been amazing. People who like the story immediately recognize what you so intelligently expressed in your question.
KG: Our birth country is one of the few elements of our identity that we have absolutely no control over, yet we tend to feel so loyal to where we were born. Why do you think this is? In an interview with your editor, you observed: “Iranians and Americans are on the opposite ends of the spectrum on [how they perceive their government]. It might take an act of God to convince some Americans that parts of their government are corrupt, but at the same time, you cannot, under any circumstances, persuade an Iranian that his government is not corrupt! Fascinating, isn’t it?” Iran and the U.S. do not always get along – how do you reconcile – or approach — your relationship with your birth country with the country you have chosen to call home as an adult?
MS: It’s sometimes like having parents who don’t get along, and at least for now are divorced, citing irreconcilable differences as an excuse. As a child you, just don’t understand it and wish for it not to be so. You don’t care who is right or wrong – you just don’t want mom and dad at each other’s throat all the time screaming and yelling and throwing fits. In some ways the conflict is very frustrating for many Iranians regardless of where they live, as I know it is for many Americans. In my opinion the tough rhetoric on both sides should be toned down, the two governments need to start talking, and we all should hope for a day that we don’t see that region further engulfed in a war. We’ve already had enough death and destruction in that part of the world for the next thousand years. The last thing we need is another Iraq in Iran.
KG: I loved how you set up the narration of this novel — Why did you decide to alternate between Pasha’s experiences in 1973 and his experiences in 1974 (I’m trying to not give too much away with this question!)? Was this a conscious choice made before you began writing or did the narration evolve?
MS: It evolved. A good part of the story in the beginning focused on demonstrating what life was like in the alley, or on the rooftops, at school or at home. The 1974 scenes were inserted to give the story a forward moving sense of urgency. You want to read and learn what has happened and why he’s at the psychiatric hospital – but as the San Francisco Chronicle reviewer said, by the time you find out, you want to know what will happen to him next! Please note how desperately I’m trying not to give the story away either!!
Thank you so much for your time as well as your willingness to connect with your readers!
Please look for my review of Rooftops of Tehran tomorrow — multiple give-away copies!!
Nice interview. The part about sense of pride is one of the few things about Iran that I found so understandable.
I have this one to review and am looking forward to reading it. Thanks for the interview!
How cool that you got to interview the author!
I got the feel that the Iranian people are very different from the government, from Azadeh Moaveni’s books (“Lipstick Jihad” and “Honeymoon in Tehran”).
I’m looking forward to reading your review of “Rooftops of Tehran”.