Kaveh Akbar Shares Insights on His First Novel, 'Martyr!'

www.nytimes.com

In Akbar's novel "Martyr!", we follow the journey of Cyrus, a young Iranian American man shaped by the tragic story of his mother's demise on Iran Air Flight 655. This commercial airliner, on its way to Dubai, was shot down by the United States Navy in 1988, resulting in the loss of all lives on board. Cyrus, in a poignant reflection, terms his mother's death as a "rounding error," emphasizing that a mere difference of one life in the toll wouldn't have altered the broader significance of the event.

Raised in the United States by his father, Cyrus finds himself adrift, grappling with addiction and depression. Drowning in suicidal despair, he becomes fixated on infusing meaning into his own death. His quest leads him to the story of an artist facing terminal cancer, choosing to spend her final days on display in a museum – living, eating, and sleeping there. Intrigued, Cyrus travels to New York to meet her.

Jordan Pavlin, the editor in chief at Knopf, highlights the significance of the exclamation point in the novel's title, indicating the emotional intensity readers can expect. According to Pavlin, encountering a manuscript like this is rare and evokes a visceral response, akin to shouting, "The house is on fire!"

Akbar, previously acclaimed as a poet with awards like fellowships and Pushcart Prizes, expanded his creative horizons during the pandemic. His second poetry book, "Pilgrim Bell," was published in 2021. Inspired by a desire for a narrative challenge, he delved into long-form prose, immersing himself in a "narrative diet" of two novels per week and a daily movie.

Describing his learning process as a "kleptomaniacal education," Akbar confesses to borrowing techniques from diverse authors like Annie Dillard, Baldwin, Morrison, and Nabokov. He shares his progress with a literary confidant, novelist Tommy Orange, through regular Friday exchanges. Despite meeting only once before the pandemic, the two writers became literary pen pals, providing mutual support and encouragement.

Tommy Orange commends Akbar for maintaining a remarkable balance between cerebral depth and heartfelt emotion. According to Orange, Akbar's ability to stay warm while being cerebral sets him apart in a literary landscape often marked by a potential coldness in cerebral pursuits.