Is this the most dangerous novel?

The podcast explores Sadegh Hedayat's novel, "The Blind Owl," delving into its themes, plot, and the author's life. It begins with the discovery of Hedayat's body in Paris and introduces "The Blind Owl" as a controversial yet significant Iranian novel, comparing its impact to Goethe's "The Sorrows of Young Werther." The podcast then summarizes the novel's two parts: a dream and a deathbed confession, detailing the narrator's experiences with love, loss, and disturbing events. It further explores Hedayat's background as an Iranian nationalist and how his personal struggles influenced the novel's themes of shame and impotence, and discusses the psychological and philosophical underpinnings of the story, including Jungian archetypes and Eastern perspectives on life and death, and advises listeners to approach the book with caution due to its potentially disturbing content.

Outlines

Sign in to continue reading, translating and more.

Continue

Fiction Beast

Introduction to Sadegh Hedayat and "The Blind Owl"

Publication History and Initial Plot Summary of "The Blind Owl"

The Gravedigger, the Jug, and the Second Part of the Novel

Themes of Shame, Impotence, and Iranian Nationalism

Buddhist, Jungian, and Artistic Interpretations of "The Blind Owl"

Is this the most dangerous novel?

Fiction Beast

00:00Introduction to Sadegh Hedayat and "The Blind Owl"

Introduction to Sadegh Hedayat and "The Blind Owl"

02:05Publication History and Initial Plot Summary of "The Blind Owl"

Publication History and Initial Plot Summary of "The Blind Owl"

07:20The Gravedigger, the Jug, and the Second Part of the Novel

The Gravedigger, the Jug, and the Second Part of the Novel

12:38Themes of Shame, Impotence, and Iranian Nationalism

Themes of Shame, Impotence, and Iranian Nationalism

17:40Buddhist, Jungian, and Artistic Interpretations of "The Blind Owl"

Buddhist, Jungian, and Artistic Interpretations of "The Blind Owl"