The Gods Laugh on Mondays

Last updated • 1 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

The Gods Laugh on Mondays (in Persian: و خدايان دوشنبه‌ها مي‌خندند) was the first novel by an Iranian author with the pen name Reza Khoshnazar which was published in August 1995. It was a lurid chronicle of Iran in which the male protagonist is raped by his schoolmate, and can not be sure whether he liked it or not. He then marries a young woman who has an affair with his best friend. Eventually, the angst-ridden hero goes on a murder-suicide binge. [1] This novel has been dedicated to Gregor Samsa, protagonist of novel The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. Reaction was hot, and some conservative papers called Gods a blasphemy. On the night of August 22, 1995, men arrived at the book publisher's shop identifying themselves as Islamic building inspectors. They set the building on fire. A head of Islamic propaganda (Ahmad Jannati) declared at Friday prayer that zealots are above the law. [2] [3] [4] Reza Khoshnazar has published six other novels in Sweden.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reza Shah</span> Shah of Iran from 1925 to 1941

Reza Shah Pahlavi was an Iranian military officer and the founder of the Pahlavi dynasty. As a politician, he previously served as minister of war and prime minister of Qajar Iran and subsequently reigned as Shah of Pahlavi Iran from 1925 until he was forced to abdicate after the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran in 1941. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Mohammad Reza Shah. A modernizer, Reza Shah clashed with the Shia clergy, but also introduced many social, economic, and political reforms during his reign, ultimately laying the foundation of the modern Iranian State. Therefore, he is regarded by many as the founder of modern Iran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iranian Revolution</span> Revolution in Iran from 1978 to 1979

The Iranian Revolution, also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Imperial State of Iran by the present-day Islamic Republic of Iran, as the monarchical government of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was superseded by the theocratic Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a religious cleric who had headed one of the rebel factions. The ousting of Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, formally marked the end of Iran's historical monarchy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akbar Rafsanjani</span> President of Iran from 1989 to 1997

Ali Akbar Hashimi Bahramani Rafsanjani was an Iranian politician and writer who served as the fourth president of Iran from 1989 to 1997. One of the founding fathers of the Islamic Republic, Rafsanjani was the head of the Assembly of Experts from 2007 until 2011 when he decided not to nominate himself for the post. He was also the chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ata'ollah Mohajerani</span> Iranian politician

Sayyid Ata'ollah Mohajerani is an Iranian journalist, author, and reformist politician. Mohajerani served as Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Iran under President Mohammad Khatami from 1997 until 2000 when he was fired from office for alleged "permissiveness". He is living as a UK citizen.

<i>The Satanic Verses</i> 1988 novel by Salman Rushdie

The Satanic Verses is the fourth novel of the Indian-British writer Salman Rushdie. First published in September 1988, the book was inspired by the life of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. As with his previous books, Rushdie used magical realism and relied on contemporary events and people to create his characters. The title refers to the Satanic Verses, a group of Quranic verses about three pagan Meccan goddesses: Allāt, Al-Uzza, and Manāt. The part of the story that deals with the satanic verses was based on accounts from the historians al-Waqidi and al-Tabari.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran</span> Last crown prince of Iran (born 1960)

Reza Pahlavi is the eldest son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, and his wife Farah Diba. Before the Islamic Revolution in 1979, he was the crown prince and the last heir apparent to the throne of the Imperial State of Iran. Pahlavi resides in Great Falls, Virginia.

<i>Persepolis</i> (comics) Graphic novel series by Marjane Satrapi

Persepolis is a series of autobiographical graphic novels by Marjane Satrapi that depict her childhood and early adult years in Iran and Austria during and after the Islamic Revolution. The title Persepolis is a reference to the ancient capital of the Persian Empire. Originally published in French, Persepolis has been translated to many other languages. As of 2018, it has sold more than 2 million copies worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reza Aslan</span> Iranian-US scholar of religious studies

Reza Aslan is an Iranian-American scholar of sociality, writer, and television host. A convert to evangelical Christianity from Shia Islam as a youth, Aslan eventually reverted to Islam but continued to write about Christianity. He has written four books on religion: No God but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, Beyond Fundamentalism: Confronting Religious Extremism in the Age of Globalization, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, God: A Human History and in 2022 An American Martyr in Persia: The Epic Life and Tragic Death of Howard Baskerville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ali Mohammad Afghani</span> Iranian writer

Ali Mohammad Afghani is an Iranian writer. His father is from Tiran and Karvan, one of the counties of Isfahan province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohammad-Reza Mahdavi Kani</span> Iranian Ayatollah (1931–2014)

Ayatollah Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Kani was an Iranian Shia cleric, writer and conservative and principlist politician who was Prime Minister of Iran from 2 September until 29 October 1981. Before that, he was Minister of Interior in the cabinets of Mohammad-Ali Rajai and Mohammad-Javad Bahonar. He was the leader of Combatant Clergy Association and Chairman of the Assembly of Experts and also founder and president of Imam Sadiq University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reza Amirkhani</span> Iranian writer

Reza Amirkhani is a contemporary Iranian novelist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahmoud Taleghani</span> Iranian theologian (1911–1979)

Sayyid Mahmoud Alaei Taleghani was an Iranian theologian, Muslim reformer, democracy advocate, a senior Shia Islamic scholar and thinker of Iran, and a leader in his own right of the movement against Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. A founding member of the Freedom Movement of Iran, he has been described as a representative of the tendency of many "Shia clerics to blend Shia with Marxist ideals in order to compete with leftist movements for youthful supporters" during the 1960s and 1970s. His "greatest influence" has been said to have been in "his teaching of Quranic exegesis," as many later revolutionaries were his students.

Ettela'at is a Persian-language daily newspaper of record published in Tehran, Iran. It is among the oldest publications in the country, and the oldest running Persian daily newspaper in the world. The paper has a conservative stance, and focuses on political, cultural, social, and economic news. Until the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the newspaper was associated with its chief founder Abbas Massoudi (1895–1974).

<i>Satanic Verses</i> controversy Reaction to Salman Rushdies 1988 novel

The Satanic Verses controversy, also known as the Rushdie Affair, was a controversy sparked by the 1988 publication of Salman Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses. It centered on the novel's references to the Satanic Verses, and came to include a larger debate about censorship and religious violence. It included numerous killings, attempted killings, and bombings by perpetrators who supported Islam.

<i>The Myst Reader</i> Collection of novels based on video game

The Myst Reader is a collection of three novels based on the Myst series of adventure games. The collection was published in September 2004 and combines three works previously published separately: The Book of Atrus (1995), The Book of Ti'ana (1996), and The Book of D'ni (1997). The novels were each written by British science-fiction writer David Wingrove with assistance from Myst's creators, Rand and Robyn Miller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ervand Abrahamian</span> Iranian-American historian (born 1940)

Ervand Abrahamian is an Iranian-American historian of the Middle East. He is Distinguished Professor of History at Baruch College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and is widely regarded as one of the leading historians of modern Iran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohammad Reza Pahlavi</span> Shah of Iran from 1941 to 1979

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, commonly referred to in the Western world as Mohammad Reza Shah, or just simply the Shah, was the last monarch of Iran. He began ruling the Imperial State of Iran after succeeding his father, Reza Shah, in 1941 and remained in power until he was overthrown by the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which abolished the country's monarchy and established the Islamic Republic of Iran. In 1967, he took up the title Shahanshah and held several others, including Aryamehr and Bozorg Arteshtaran.

Reza Khoshbin-e Khoshnazar is an Iranian novelist who published his first novel, The Gods Laugh on Mondays in 1995 when he was in his twenties. The reaction was hot and some conservative papers accused him of writing blasphemy and some zealots compared him with Salman Rushdie. Eventually, men came in the night and torched his publisher book shop, Morghe-Amin Publication House, in Tehran.

<i>The Sword of Summer</i> Young-adult fantasy novel by Rick Riordan

The Sword of Summer is a young-adult fantasy novel based on Norse mythology written by American author Rick Riordan. It was published on October 6, 2015, by Disney Hyperion, and is the first novel in the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series.

<i>Oath of Office</i> (novel) 2018 thriller novel

Oath of Office is a techno-thriller novel, written by Marc Cameron and published on November 27, 2018. Set in author Tom Clancy's "Ryanverse," universe, President Jack Ryan and The Campus deal with a sinister plot behind a series of protests in Iran, dubbed the Persian Spring. Oath of Office is Cameron's second book in the Jack Ryan series. The book debuted at number eight on the New York Times bestseller list.

References

  1. Newsweek, October,1995, page 37.
  2. "UN Commission on Human Rights - Report on the mission of the Special Rapporteur to Iran (Mar 96)". www1.umn.edu. Retrieved 2015-12-01.
  3. Newsweek, October,1995, page 37.
  4. "Publisher of Iranian Book Bombed". Reuters. August 24, 1995 via BRIEF ON IRAN, No. 239 Representative Office of The National Council of Resistance of Iran Friday, August 25, 1995.