Salar Abdoh
Salar Abdoh | |
|---|---|
| Born | Tehran, Iran |
| Occupation(s) | Novelist, essayist, editor, translator, professor |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Known for | The Poet Game, Opium, Tehran At Twilight, Out of Mesopotamia, A Nearby Country Called Love, Tehran Noir |
| Notable work | The Poet Game (2000), Opium (2004), Tehran At Twilight (2014), Out of Mesopotamia (2020), A Nearby Country Called Love (2023) |
Salar Abdoh is an accomplished novelist and essayist known for works such as The Poet Game (2000), Opium (2004), Tehran At Twilight (2014), Out of Mesopotamia (2020), and A Nearby Country Called Love (2023). In addition, he served as editor and translator for the anthology Tehran Noir (2014). Abdoh currently leads the Creative Writing program at City College of New York, which is part of the City University of New York system.
Early life
Originally from Tehran, Iran, Abdoh spent a period in England before his family moved to the United States when he was fourteen years old. He completed his undergraduate studies at U.C. Berkeley and earned a Master's degree from City College of New York.
Career
Abdoh’s first novel, The Poet Game, tells the story of an Iranian intelligence operative who infiltrates Islamic extremist groups in New York City to thwart terrorist acts that might draw the US deeper into Middle Eastern conflicts. Although published in 2000, the book gained significant attention following the events of September 11. His sophomore novel, Opium (2004), follows a former drug smuggler operating along the Afghan-Iranian border whose past catches up with him as America prepares for military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Published in 2014, Tehran At Twilight is a literary thriller reminiscent of Graham Greene’s work, delving into themes of loyalty and betrayal during times of war. That same year, Abdoh edited and translated the Iranian noir short story collection Tehran Noir.
Drawing from his own experiences in Middle Eastern conflict zones, Abdoh’s 2020 novel Out of Mesopotamia portrays a journalist caught between the demands of war and artistic expression. The book was recognized by Publishers Weekly as one of the best books of 2020.
His most recent work, A Nearby Country Called Love (2023), marks a thematic shift away from warfare to explore issues related to sexuality, gender identity, queerness, oppression, and masculinity within Middle Eastern contexts. It has been praised by both the New York Times and the Washington Post for its nuanced examination of complex human relationships.
Abdoh also collaborated with his late brother, avant-garde theater director Reza Abdoh, on the play Quotations from a Ruined City.