A Wolfish Nocturnal, By Esmaiel Abbasi

Ismaiel Abbasi's novella,  A Wolfish Nocturnal   شب گرگی , must be considered an event worthy of Iranian fiction. This symbolic story is thought provoking and complex, and the author is to be commended for the eloquence and reach of his pen. In addition, the number of characters and the description of their behavioral and psychological attitudes  across multiple dimensions of political, social and cultural perspectives is impressive, as is Abbasi's extensive knowledge of Taleghan culture and dialect.

The story is set against the backdrop of an era shortly after the nationalization of the Iranian oil industry and the British-CIA coup of August 1953 against the democratically elected government of Dr Mossadegh. In a symbolic style, through the perspective of an omniscient narrator, the tale moves from story to story at a rapid pace, and Abbasi introduces the reader to the various characters of the inhabitants of "Asa" and tells their stories, which are "drawn from the legends and tales of the native ecosystem of Taleghan". It describes the different reactions of the characters of the city to a wolf, suspected of having killed many sheep, and trapped by Nowruz, son of Ali Awsatband Bani, who:

"When he performed in a Taziyeh his voice reached to the other side of Gaduk. Whether true or false, it is said a few years ago, on the night of Eid, when it was time to return from Tonekabon in the storm and snow, wolves surrounded him. God forgive! When spring came and the snow melted, they only found the bones of the deceased and some pieces of his clothing.

This is perhaps why Nowruz trapped the wolf and brought the animal to town. An interesting  character of the town is Alimardan Khan, the "great landowner and well-known rancher" who is "the center of people's attention". Abbasi reports that "amid the events of the 1950s and the growing influence of the political left in the capital, the town of Asa has not been immune to socio-political developments." In this highly charged environment  Alimardan Khan 

"... besides being a large landowner and rancher, which required their own prerequisite management skills, had a keen sense of politics, and at the height of the activities of influential figures from various political factions of the 1940s in  Asa, he mingled with them, and was more or less familiar with the intricacies of politics. Despite his irreconcilability with leftists, whom he called "the Bolsheviks," he had a unique flexibility in his relations with the people. 

In order to take revenge and protect his flock, Alimardan Khan strongly insists on exterminating the wicked wolf. This is because:

“In the midnight frosts of a late autumn, the sound of a loud banging on the door, accompanied by the stressed voice of the head-shepherd, swept through his mansion. He had terrible news; the wolves had entered the newly built sheepfold, located next to the thick forest in the northern part of Asa, and had killed forty of his sheep. When Alimardan Khan got there, the metallic smell of blood wafted through his nasal receptors, and his knees couldn't even take a step further.

Thus, Alimardan Khan eagerly suggests a ruse to master-sergeant Rostami; to kill the wolf in order to prevail over the citizens who argue that "cruelty cannot be justified on any living being!" and demand that the poor wolf be released, to return to her pit and resume her life's routine.

Another interesting character in the story is the hero, Mohtashem, who, during a clash with a hungry wolf, managed to kill him empty-handed, and now he is grappling with the psychological consequences of that struggle, which would not be told here so as not to spoil the story for the reader.

The story of master-sergeant Rostami has special resonance for many Iranians who lived under the oppressive regime of the Shah. Rostami “when he arrived in Asa  five years ago from Shahriyar of Alishavaz, knew that his conduct was closely monitored by the central regiment, so he meticulously informed the Karaj gendarmerie of every detail."  This is why he reports the trapping of the wolf. The story was that he "had a full political record in the military tribunal," and so he "plunged into a conservative shell, hoping that the peacetime prevailing in the town of Asa, would calm  the stormy waters of the1950s,” and he could “get his two delayed ranks back, which he was denied and he was lagging behind,” hopping that he “could leave Asa `  with the rank of second lieutenant.” He says to Alimardan Khan:

Haji, in the 1940s, when I was just a new corporal in the force, I rubbed shoulders with the Mossadeghis for a few months. After Dr Mossadegh left, I was imprisoned for some time. Now even two years have passed since I was to be promoted to the rank of second lieutenant. The military tribunal is using every excuse to watch me.

In response, Alimardan Khan "puts his hand on his shoulder in consolation" and says: "Alas, damn Bolsheviks, they are burning fire wherever they can!"

And just as pleasant is the three-year old love story between Farhoud, the city tailor, and Golandam, who:

Her husband, a much-loved teacher who was one of Shahnameh's reciters during the long winters in cafes and late-night parties, has died of a mysterious illness. Since then, many eyes have been drawn to Golandam, but she, with agility and courage, has silently turned the wheels of her life and those of her two young children.

There are many other beautiful sub-stories; like that of the doctor of smallpox jabs, that of the barber of the city, or that of the head of the office of the civil status and official documents, that Abbasi weaves subtly in the story of the trapped wolf, while recalling in this Odyssey poems, sayings and other stories related to wolves in general, with an elaborate elegance. Abbasi's symbolic and sophisticated storytelling style and narrative language are expressive and eloquent. He avoids the artifices and bustle of postmodernism, and even when he can use the method of "magic realism" as a tool in the mesmerizing sub-story of Atieh, the town midwife; he does not

Rumor has it that Atieh, had encountered goblins, while washing her hair and body alone, in the old bathhouse of Asa,  and since then she suffers from a bitter life with a mysterious disease and a kind of fever resembling  malaria. Shaman, a gypsy, was able to get rid of fever and bone pain by prescribing a herbal decoction, but she still suffered from debilitating fright and chronic fatigue. The same shaman had prescribed that if she touched the brest of a living she-wolf with her palm at any time possible, the old fear would escape her soul and she would regain her health.

It seems Abbasi totally ignores goblin magic, as what he intends to show the reader at the story's climax has a deeper, more humane, and more magical essence. The magic that transforms the plot, into a magnificent surprise, and transforms the fragile and helpless Atieh into the leader of a popular movement. A Wolfish Nocturnal surprises the reader with a wonderful ending, in which Atieh plays a key role in shaping it, an ending that calmly provides clues for deciphering the rich symbolism of the story. What blows like a gentle breeze from the beginning of the story turns into a storm of humanity at its best. I hope this magical novel will soon be translated into other languages.

   

    

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