Iran. In a cold winter between 1986 and 1987 - the seventh of a grueling and bloody conflict with neighboring Iraq, ruled by Saddam Husseyn - the teenager Naser leads a peaceful life, divided between his study and his family. Yet despite his tender age, Naser is a seasoned veteran. Only a few months have passed since, after being wounded at the front, Naser turned his back on the conflict. One day, however, the young man receives a telegram addressed to him by his old comrades. Something big, on the front line, seems to be imminent. Tormented by the memory of the last operation and eager to see his former comrades again, Naser once again abandons his books and family to go to the front. The young man ignores the extent of the challenge to which destiny has subjected him. In fact, Iranian forces are preparing to penetrate Iraqi soil in order to besiege the city of Basra, in what will be remembered as "Operation Karbala-5". Considered one of the bloodiest clashes of the twentieth century, Operation Karbala-5 will represent for Naser, once again descended into the underworld, the opportunity to reach the maturity and awareness so longed for. A universal history, here declined in an unknown or forgotten form: that of the greatest conflict in the history of the Middle East.
Preface by Simone Cristoforetti.
The author of the book Ahmad Dehghan was born in Karaj in the province of Tehran in 1966. In the early 80s, following the Iraqi invasion and the outbreak of the war imposed by Iraq against Iran, Dehghan joined the resistance movement and he participates as a volunteer in numerous operations at the front.
In 1996 his first novel was published in Iran, “voyage in the direction of 270 °” which immediately became one of the most important works on the Iranian literary scene. Inspired by Dehghan's experience gained in Operation Karbala -5, the novel, tackling for the first time the theme of the War imposed on Iran in a realistic and not triumphalistic key, immediately becomes an editorial case, dividing the public and critics, crossing national borders and winning numerous awards.
The book has been translated by Dr. Michele Marelli
Published by Mimmesis Editions
