The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran reviewed

The Hindu published a review on May 16 of Shida Bazyar’s “The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran,” describing the novel as a family story shaped by Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution and its aftermath. The review, by Vasudevan Mukunth, said the book follows one family across decades of upheaval, exile and political memory. The novel is one of six books on the International Booker Prize 2026 shortlist, according to the Booker Prizes organization. ### What did The Hindu say about the novel? Vasudevan Mukunth wrote in The Hindu on May 16 that “The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran” explores “the long afterlife of the Islamic Revolution.” The review said the book uses “the intimate story of a family in exile” to depict “the trauma and cost of revolution.” (thehindu.com) The Hindu identified the book as written by Shida Bazyar and translated by Ruth Martin. The review listed the Indian edition as published by Scribe Publications and priced at ₹699. ### Who is Shida Bazyar and what book is under review? The Booker Prizes organization said Shida Bazyar studied writing in Hildesheim in northern Germany and worked in youth education for many years. (thehindu.com) Its reading guide identifies “The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran” as a novel originally written in German and later translated into English by Ruth Martin. The Booker Prizes guide said the novel is set across four decades and charts one family’s flight from and return to Iran. The same guide said the book deals with “revolution, oppression, resistance and freedom,” framing the story through a family history rather than a single political event. (thebookerprizes.com) ### How does the story connect to Iran’s revolution? The Hindu review said the plot is tied to the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the way political rupture carries through generations. Mukunth wrote that the novel links public upheaval in Iran to private consequences inside a family living in exile. (thebookerprizes.com) A March article in The Hindu about the International Booker longlist described Bazyar’s debut as taking readers through 40 years of a family’s life “amid the ravages of war.” That article identified Bazyar as 38 and placed the novel within a broader group of shortlisted and longlisted books engaging with Iranian history and conflict. (thehindu.com) ### Why is the International Booker shortlist relevant here? The Booker Prizes organization announced on March 31 that “The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran” was on the 2026 International Booker Prize shortlist. The official shortlist named Bazyar as author and Ruth Martin as translator from German. (thehindu.com) The shortlist places the novel alongside five other finalists: “She Who Remains” by Rene Karabash, “The Director” by Daniel Kehlmann, “On Earth As It Is Beneath” by Ana Paula Maia, “Taiwan Travelogue” by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ and “The Witch” by Marie NDiaye, according to the Booker Prizes release. (thebookerprizes.com) ### What details are available about the English edition? The Booker Prizes reading guide said the English translation was published after the novel’s original German release and noted that the book has been translated into multiple languages. The guide also said the novel had already won the Blogger Literary Award, the Ulla Hahn Prize and the Uwe Johnson Prize. (thebookerprizes.com) Wikipedia’s entry on the book, which is less authoritative than the prize organizer’s materials, lists the English edition as published by Scribe UK on April 29, 2025. That publication detail aligns in part with The Hindu’s identification of Scribe as the publisher of the reviewed edition. ### Where does this story go next? (thebookerprizes.com) The Booker Prizes organization is expected to complete the 2026 International Booker cycle after the March 31 shortlist announcement. Readers can find The Hindu’s review on the newspaper’s books pages and the prize status on the Booker Prizes website. (thehindu.com) (en.wikipedia.org)