Description: This coming-of-age story set in southwestern Iran during the nationalization of the oil industry in 1951 is the first English translation of the work of a prominent Iranian novelist who helped set the stage for today's struggle for democracy in Iran.
Brief description: Ahmad Mahmoud was born in Ahvaz in 1931 and, like his protagonist, spent time in prison for political agitation in the 1950s. He wrote several short story collections and novels before his death in 2002.