AUSMA ZEHANAT KHAN
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A Journey through Among the Ruins

5/18/2017

 
​Today I’d like to inaugurate a ‘Behind the Book’ feature , where I talk about certain moments, themes or places in each of my books. Given that an election is taking place in Iran, it’s the perfect time to chat a little more about AMONG THE RUINS, the third book in my Khattak/Getty mystery series. As RUINS opens, Khattak is in the city of Esfahan in Iran, a breathtakingly beautiful, former imperial capital. There’s a saying known to all Iranians, and possibly to all speakers of Persian/Farsi: Esfahan nesf-e-jahan…or Esfahan is half the world. In fact, it is with these words that RUINS begins. As Khattak seeks peace in the city’s gardens, he receives a mysterious letter urging him to read the poetry of no less a personage than the revered figure of Hafiz. Khattak’s correspondent observes that instead of reading Hafiz, Khattak has a different book. He's traveling his own ‘closed circuit.’ This is a reference to a book of poems by the Iranian poet, Shadab Vajdi. I was given this volume of poetry by a friend when I was in law school, and the haunting beauty of those poems has stayed with me. Though the poems in Closed Circuit reference a previous era in Iran, their themes of exile and oppression translate to the present moment Khattak finds himself in, and to the murder he’s asked to solve. Here’s a look at the Naqsh-e Jahan square in Esfahan, where Khattak passes his days.
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  • Home
  • ABOUT
  • Books
    • FANTASY >
      • The Bladebone >
        • The Bladebone (UK)
      • The Blue Eye >
        • The Blue Eye (UK)
      • The Black Khan >
        • The Black Khan (UK)
      • The Bloodprint >
        • The Bloodprint (UK)
    • MYSTERY >
      • A Deadly Divide >
        • A Deadly Divide UK Edition
        • A Deadly Divide Blog Tour
      • A Dangerous Crossing
      • Among the Ruins >
        • Among the Ruins UK
      • A Death in Sarajevo
      • The Language of Secrets >
        • The Language of Secrets (UK)
      • The Unquiet Dead >
        • The Unquiet Dead (UK)
    • MIDDLE GRADE
  • Photo Gallery
    • Author's Gallery
    • Reader Photos
  • EVENTS
    • Events >
      • Past Events
  • Other Writing
    • Profiles
    • Interviews
    • Essays
    • The Ravenscroft Blog
  • MEDIA
  • Contact