1. THE HOUSE OF EDRISIS
GHAZALEH ALIZADEH
TRANSLATED BY
ROSA JAMALI
2. ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR
Rosa Jamali (Born 1977) is an Iranian poet based in Tehran. She studied Drama
& Literature at the Art University of Tehran and holds a Master's degree in English
literature from TEHRAN University. She has published six collections of poetry so
far. Her first book," This Dead Body is Not an Apple, It is Either a Cucumber or a
Pear”, was published in 1997, and opened new landscapes and possibilities to
Persian contemporary poetry. Through broken syntax and word-play, she
described a surreal world in which words have lost their meanings and have
become jumbled objects within contemporary everyday life. In her other
collections, she adapted a kind of music from classical Persian poetry and
imbued it with the natural cadences of speech, juxtaposing long and short
sentences. In her recent poems, she creates some layers of intertextuality with
Persian Mythology and mysticism.
3. ROSA JAMALI
Since then she has created works that have always been strictly engaged with
the forms and conscious of styles in poetics, digressing in between various
literary styles and traditions. experiencing crystal, condensed and language-
based imagery taking its inspiration from the style of visionary writings of Persian
transcendentalists like Suhrawardi,... Rosa Jamali’s poetry also enjoys a rich
influence of English poetry.
She is also an active translator; with an anthology of Anglophone poets translated
to Persian. A lecturer on Persian poetry at the British Library, US Persian Study
centres and has contributed to so many poetry festivals worldwide. She is a
Judge in a number of prestigious poetry Prizes inside the country and has written
a number of scholarly articles on Poetry, Literary theory, and Creative writing.
Selection of her essay titled "Revelations in the Wind" discusses the Poetics of
Persian Poetry.
6. Ghazaleh Alizadeh(1947-1996)
Ghazaleh Alizadeh was born in Mashhad, the central city of Northeastern province of khorasan
.Historically important, Khorasan is well-known for a number of prominent poets with an
exclusive literary school which has been featured for its high range of archaic vocabulary, diction
and poetic aspects. The tradition has left a great influence on Alizadeh’s style of writing.
Alizadeh studied Law and Politics at Tehran University and continued her education in
Illumination philosophy and Mysticism at Paris's Sorbonne. She became a prolific writer in the 70s,
80s and 90s, quite an influential figure in Iranian association of writers.
House of The Edrisis, her main work is best known for its rich and poetical language, surrealistic
aspects, powerful characterisation, narrative techniques, wealth of descriptions and discourse
analysis through different classes of society. Quite a number of current slangs and colloquial
expressions have been adopted through its dynamic dialogues. The quotations have references to
many other books like classical novels, philosophy, bible, world history, arts, music and so…. One
can see some layers of intertextuality with the poetry of Rumi and Hafiz.
7. Ghazaleh Alizadeh(1947-1996)
The setting doesn’t infer a certain time or place, it has seemingly taken place in
Ashkabad; a city built on the ruins of Nisa, the capital city of Ashkanid dynasty.
The novel depicts a group of learned people living with an old culture and literary
treasury while they are invaded by commoners and military people.
The house is the metaphor of land taken by others.
Through the narrative techniques implied by the writer, we get to know about the life
of the generation past; People who lived in the house many years before and how
they are attached in a mysterious tangled network of relationships. Some mystical and
mythological aspects of codes and symbols could be a subject to study.
8. Ghazaleh Alizadeh(1947-1996)
THE HOUSE OF THE EDRISIS and Alizadeh’s portrait have been partly pictured in
Daruish Mehrjoei’s film“Banoo”.
Alizadeh committed suicide in 1996; her body was found hanged on a tree in a green
spot in Northern Iran, later the place was cited as the temple of Anahita in ancient
Persia.
Her death was widely reflected in the 90s poetry; among the elegies written on her
death is Reza Baraheni’s elegy in which he describes her as the bride of Iran’s
literature.
(Preface to the book by Rosa Jamali)
9. ROSA JAMALI
The House of Edrisis is a prominent post-revolutionary novel in Iran by Ghazaleh
Alizadeh , a noted novelist, translated from original Persian to English by Rosa
Jamali.
Contact:
rosa_jamali@yahoo.com
rosajamali@gmail.com
rosa.jamali@ut.ac.ir
10. THE HOUSE OF EDRISIS
Original language: Persian
Translator to English: Rosa Jamali
Number of pages:757 pages in Persian
First publication:Tirajeh, 1991
Type of novel: Dystopian, river-novel (roman-fleuve), Allegory
Theme: The Age of Decline, abuse of political power
Plot: A manor house is occupied by government militia and common people, the house ends up in
confiscation, some die, some go to exile and others put up with a new situation
Narrative style: Chronological order, flashback
Time: Not specified
Setting: Not specified, Caucasus, Ashkhabad,a team house
Point of view: The intrusive omniscient third-person narrator
11. THE HOUSE OF EDRISIS
Literary school : Realist with traces of Surrealism, Symbolist with digressions to
Magic realism, some elements of Gothic fiction are seen
Similar novels: George Orwell's Animal Farm
Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time
Checkoff's Cherry Orchard
Russian classics
Language: The book's success is due to its polyphonic structure of juxtaposing
highly prestigious literature of Khorasan and street talk used by commoners.
Some layers of intertextuality with Persian classical poetry are seen.
12. Synopsis
Mrs Edrisi lives with her grandson Vahhab and daughter Legha in a secluded
mansion, a revolution has just happened in this country, a communist totalitarian
government has taken over the properties, an armed group which is called firing-
squad occupy their place, groups of people and strangers take refuge in the
house; some are recognised to be common people and others are called spies.
Vahhab who is a very educated young man is obsessed with the memory of his
dead aunt Rahila, among the people who enter the house is a young actress who
reminds Vahhab of his aunt. Vahhab falls in love with her,... Roxana who is from
Tiblisi and the previous lover of a noted poet called Yuri Marenko, becomes a key
character to connect old and new time and to connect people inside and outside
the house.
13. Synopsis
Soldiers of the new government are told to change the life style of these people,
to teach them about their revolutionary social values and to ask them help the
public who are much in need.
Shoukat who is a revolutionary character and is called by a "Comrade" title is
supposed to teach them some proletarian values, she usually criticizes Vahab for
being lazy and bookworm, she has a sarcastic way of talking and insults others
easily.
14. Synopsis
Soldiers and comrades set new rules in the house and try to teach the residents
the revolutionary goals, they are rough and despotic and they speak very harshly,
command and yell at others. They break the valuable stuff and destroy whatever
which looks ornamental though they might have a sentimental value for Mrs.
Edrisi.
It seems that the soldiers want to teach these aristocrat people a way of life to
live in a team of comradeship; deep inside you feel that they have taken over the
place to teach their harsh attitudes, radical ideas and inhumane behaviour. They
finally steal the valuable stuff in the house and destroy their decorum and
propriety.
15. Synopsis
In season one, we see different groups of people in the house, at the end of this
season the house takes a different and new identity when all theses different sorts
of people mix. Even the residents of the house change their tone of speaking
when they are among newcomers.
In the second season, residents of the house get to know more about the firing
centre (headquarter of the new government) and they try to have a sort of
interaction with them. Some Like Haddadian turn to become an agent, very
hypocrite and manipulative. Little by little fear grows among them and they
would like to be in a sort of connection with them.
16. Synopsis
Roxana turns out to be the spy of firing-squad band and helps them loot the
treasure in the house, the residents of the house leave and in a reversal of fortune
their lives change dramatically,..In the third season so many stories of marginal
characters are told, we learn about Rana, Vahhab's mother who was once in touch
with Roxana. Some other characters are created by the descriptions of the main
characters...
In the final season, the house is going to be confiscated, Vahhab leaves for
Kashmir, Legha becomes a Piano teacher and in the last chapters we face to a sort
of ruin in the place of the house.
17. Synopsis
The author applies a sense of humour when different social classes mix and their
thoughts and dreams are not understood well.
The new residents of the house try to divide the rooms among themselves and at
the end they send the household to a dormitory. They try to persuade them that
this lazy life style should be stopped for the sake of society.
They are supposed to provide a fair and just life for all members of the society;
this is for the cause of their communist revolution.
18. Synopsis
There are so many marginal characters in the second book, their stories are told
either by the travellers or a moment of remembrance in the household.
Characters all undergo a change and at the end of novel they are totally different
people. The aristocrats turn to civil servants of the new government.
Edrisis family don't have a special inclination to a specified religion but the way
Lagha worships a holy tapestry might be similar to Christians. The travellers from
Moscow and Yalta speak about churches... no key point is available if they are
Muslims.
19. Synopsis
At the end of novel residents of the house find out that Yuri Marenko is dead,
some say it was because of a heart attack and some believe he committed
suicide.
At the end of novel we see how all revolutionary slogans have created a new
tyranny and how their propaganda machine could take the self-esteem of people,
characters like Ghobad fought for freedom and equality but at the end they
created a new type of captivity and how their Utopian image turned to a sort of
dystopia.
20. Synopsis
Lives of women have been described very well, Roxana is in a place which could
make anyone green with envy but sometimes she wishes a kind of stable family
life which she could find a serenity in that. Women like Kokab are acustomed with
their oppressed life; a husband who beats her, Mrs Edrisi who is an example of
failure in love and is dutiful to social standards...
21. Main characters:
1/THE RESIDENTS OF THE HOUSE:
-Mrs Edrisi, Zoleikha : the landlady , aristocrat, speaks a very decent Persian,
she has been in love with Ghobad, a revolutionary Guard from the Fire Centre,
she marries but still in love with him
-Vahhab: Mrs Edrisi's grandson, immersed in books
-Roxana: Actress, Vahhab's lover, born and bred in Tbilisi, very much like Nina in
Chekhov's THE SEAGULL(appears at the end of book 1)
-Legha: Mrs Edrisi's elder daughter, peculiar and weird with strange habits
-Yavar: The old servant, faithful
22. Main characters:
-Shoukat : A revolutionary woman from labour party, uses a lot of slangs, she is
rough and masculine. wears yellow
-Haddadian: The hypocrite mayor, spy of new government
-Borzu: University student
-Rashid: Factory worker
-Qouqan: Tailor
-Younas: Poet
-Rokhsareh: laundry woman
24. 2/THE GATECRASHERS:
-Rashid
-Ghadir
-Teimour: Gardener
And the guards of the new government mentioned as firing-squad band
25. 3/PEOPLE FROM THE PAST:
Rahila: Mrs Edrisi's daughter who died young of a strange fever and her memory
has haunted the house
Mr Edrisi: Mrs Edrisi's late husband, opium addict
Ghobad: Mrs Edrisi's previous lover, joined the firing-squad band
Yuri Marenko: Well-known poet, Roxana's previous lover, much like Vladimir
Mayokovski
Rana:Vahhab's mum who has left them
26. 4/ Fire Centre Panel
Ghobad: Mrs Edrisi's previous lover, joined the firing-squad band
Soldiers
27. Note on the title
The title implicitly refers to prophet Idris and Shahab al-din Sohrawardi's
theosophy who is the founder of Persian wisdom and illumination philosophy and
a follower of prophet Idris, the title has also some significance in secret societies
of mystics.
28. Influences
Apart from the influence of 19th century mode of fiction writing in the West, the
book has taken a lot inspirations from narrative versification of Persian Classics in
which a labyrinthine mode of story telling develops when a tale is told within another
tale, Season three is the peak of such a style.
