Natani
Encyclopedia
Natani is a Persian language
romance novel written by Iranian American writer and scholar Mehdi Khalaji
about the life of the son of an Ayatollah
growing up in Qom
, Iran
. The novel alternates between the present and the past, a reflection of the protagonist’s life as he converses with a complete stranger. The book was published in Berlin in 2004 by Gardoon, an Iranian publishing company. It is the first Persian novel that has a setting in Qom and its seminary.
The title “Natani” is a play on words. The Farsi word natani means “half-blooded” in English, but the title is instead deciphered as na-tani, meaning no-body (negation of the body), or disincarnated. This interpretation of the title embodies the general ambiance of the novel, as many times the novel grows to envelop not merely the struggles of the main character, but the struggles and frustration of a dark, oppressive spirituality that suppresses recognition of the body, while it is simultaneously obsessed by it.
, Iran. A native of Iran, Fouad now lives in London and is in Paris to meet his girlfriend. Prior to the arrival of his girlfriend, he becomes transfixed on an elegant woman who enters the hotel lobby. The appearance of this woman reminds him of Zahra, and what it felt like to fall in love. His girlfriend later arrives and after having dinner together, Fouad finds himself restless and unable to sleep. He returns to the lobby only to find the elegant woman he saw earlier. He begins talking to her about his life growing up as the son of an ayatollah in the restrictive religious society of Iran. The narrative continues to alternate between Fouad’s conversation and his flashbacks until the following morning. Fouad offers that one’s hometown is not where he lives, but where he gives birth. This is how Paris and Qom, in Fouad’s mind, stand isolated on two opposite sides of the world.
The format of the novel is very unique. The absence of chapters makes the novel resemble a long sentence. Instead of outright indications of dialogue, it is a more subtle, poetic prose. It transforms into an impersonal voice stemming from the depth of a historical period that contains the collusion of critiques of an entire society.
’s "One Hundred Years of Solitude
”, and Albert Camus
’ “L’Etranger”.
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
romance novel written by Iranian American writer and scholar Mehdi Khalaji
Mehdi Khalaji
Mehdi Khalaji is an Iranian-American writer, scholar of Islamic studies and political analyst. He has been researching at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy since 2005, and is now a senior research fellow focusing on the politics of Iran and Shiite groups in the Middle East...
about the life of the son of an Ayatollah
Ayatollah
Ayatollah is a high ranking title given to Usuli Twelver Shī‘ah clerics. Those who carry the title are experts in Islamic studies such as jurisprudence, ethics, and philosophy and usually teach in Islamic seminaries. The next lower clerical rank is Hojatoleslam wal-muslemin...
growing up in Qom
Qom
Qom is a city in Iran. It lies by road southwest of Tehran and is the capital of Qom Province. At the 2006 census, its population was 957,496, in 241,827 families. It is situated on the banks of the Qom River....
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. The novel alternates between the present and the past, a reflection of the protagonist’s life as he converses with a complete stranger. The book was published in Berlin in 2004 by Gardoon, an Iranian publishing company. It is the first Persian novel that has a setting in Qom and its seminary.
The title “Natani” is a play on words. The Farsi word natani means “half-blooded” in English, but the title is instead deciphered as na-tani, meaning no-body (negation of the body), or disincarnated. This interpretation of the title embodies the general ambiance of the novel, as many times the novel grows to envelop not merely the struggles of the main character, but the struggles and frustration of a dark, oppressive spirituality that suppresses recognition of the body, while it is simultaneously obsessed by it.
Synopsis
Natani is a reminiscent love story between the protagonist, Fouad, and his first love, Zahra. It is romantic with hints of comedy and simultaneous dramatic undertones. The novel spans one night in a hotel lobby in Paris, France, but it is interlaced with many flashbacks from his adolescence in QomQom
Qom is a city in Iran. It lies by road southwest of Tehran and is the capital of Qom Province. At the 2006 census, its population was 957,496, in 241,827 families. It is situated on the banks of the Qom River....
, Iran. A native of Iran, Fouad now lives in London and is in Paris to meet his girlfriend. Prior to the arrival of his girlfriend, he becomes transfixed on an elegant woman who enters the hotel lobby. The appearance of this woman reminds him of Zahra, and what it felt like to fall in love. His girlfriend later arrives and after having dinner together, Fouad finds himself restless and unable to sleep. He returns to the lobby only to find the elegant woman he saw earlier. He begins talking to her about his life growing up as the son of an ayatollah in the restrictive religious society of Iran. The narrative continues to alternate between Fouad’s conversation and his flashbacks until the following morning. Fouad offers that one’s hometown is not where he lives, but where he gives birth. This is how Paris and Qom, in Fouad’s mind, stand isolated on two opposite sides of the world.
Review
The gripping narration allows the author to follow Fouad and experience the petrifying presence of religious power and oppression in its domination of the streets. His upbringing lacked the presence of women, the product of strict Islamic law in which women have little freedom and are hidden from society. Repression is not unique to women; there is a general suppression of the body and its understanding. As a result, Fouad lives in a masculine and chauvinist environment, and experiences numerous mechanisms of oppression instituted by the political system including the public stoning of women, female genital mutilation (which he sees in a dream), and terrifying scenes taking place in court and in prison. However, the narration maintains a cool, almost humoring perspective as these thoughts and memories flow through Fouad’s head, making the novel more of an impersonal account than a tragic memoir.The format of the novel is very unique. The absence of chapters makes the novel resemble a long sentence. Instead of outright indications of dialogue, it is a more subtle, poetic prose. It transforms into an impersonal voice stemming from the depth of a historical period that contains the collusion of critiques of an entire society.
Author
Khalaji’s dense narrative, in which he couples the emancipation of the mind from obscurity with the freedom-oriented understanding of the physical body, draws an implicit comparison to novels such as Gabriel Garcia MarquezGabriel García Márquez
Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez is a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo throughout Latin America. He is considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in...
’s "One Hundred Years of Solitude
One Hundred Years of Solitude
One Hundred Years of Solitude , by Gabriel García Márquez, is a novel which tells the multi-generational story of the Buendía family, whose patriarch, José Arcadio Buendía, founds the town of Macondo, the metaphoric Colombia...
”, and Albert Camus
Albert Camus
Albert Camus was a French author, journalist, and key philosopher of the 20th century. In 1949, Camus founded the Group for International Liaisons within the Revolutionary Union Movement, which was opposed to some tendencies of the Surrealist movement of André Breton.Camus was awarded the 1957...
’ “L’Etranger”.