Political Crime Fiction in Persian: Why Is the Genre Poised to Flourish?

Hosted by the Centre for Iranian Studies

Crime fiction has not traditionally enjoyed widespread popularity in Persian literature, owing to a range of cultural and political factors. However, the rapid urbanisation of Iranian society, together with growing engagement with international literary trends, is creating fertile ground for the genre’s development.

At the same time, politics remains deeply embedded in everyday life in Iran, and many contemporary crime narratives are increasingly shaped by political realities and tensions. As a result, a distinctive form of the genre, political crime fiction, is emerging as a compelling mode of storytelling.

This talk explores the historical reasons behind the genre’s limited presence in Persian literature, examines the social and cultural changes that are transforming the literary landscape, and argues that political crime fiction is likely to become one of the most dynamic and influential genres in Persian-language writing in the years ahead.

Speaker

Daryoush Karimi was born in Kermanshah and studied English Literature in Tehran, where he translated The Dialogical Principle, Tzvetan Todorov’s study of Mikhail Bakhtin’s literary criticism. He subsequently taught English literature and literary theory at the University of Kurdistan in Iran before moving abroad.

In 1999, he joined the BBC in London, where he produced and presented Rozaneh, a literary radio programme. He later played a key role in the launch of BBC Persian Television, managed field reporting teams, and created and hosted Pargar, one of BBC Persian TV’s flagship discussion and debate programmes.

Karimi is the author of three Persian-language novels: The Last Alleyway, Rudy and Ravi and Moji, and The Eye of the Tower. Following the talk, he will be available to sign copies of his latest novel, The Eye of the Tower.

Chair

Seyed Ali Alavi

Main image: book cover by Asemana publishers