The Blind Owl

The Blind Owl (1930) by Sadegh Hidayat is one of the first works of Iranian modernist literature. Sadegh Hidayat (1903-1951) was the author of many surreal works of Iranian fiction that draw on his studies of traditional Persian literature and modernist European works. The Blind Owl is written in a fragmented, symbolic, dreamlike form from the point of view of an unreliable narrator, who descends into substance misuse and mental and physical decline because of his unrealized desire for a beautiful woman, whom he ultimately murders. The book’s criticism of traditional Islamic practice and the conservative Iranian government led to it being banned in Iran, despite being widely regarded as a masterpiece of Iranian fiction.

This guide uses the 75th anniversary edition of The Blind Owl, based on the Bombay edition of the original story, translated by Naveed Noori and published by the Iran Open Publishing Group and Editorial l’Aleph in 2011.

Content Warning: The source material features depictions of sexual assault, murder, necrophilia, suicidal ideation, substance misuse, and stillbirth. Additionally, the source material uses outdated, offensive terms for mental illness, which are replicated in this guide only in direct quotes of the source material.