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A review by chrisrohlev1234
The Blind Owl by Sadegh Hedayat
5.0
"If it is true that everyone has his own star in the sky mine must be remote, dark and meaningless. Perhaps I have never had a star at all."
This book is most likely the most artistic and therefore the best depiction of depression, mania, and alienation in literature. Louis Ferdinand-Celine, author of Journey to the End of The Night, wrote in his book "When you write, you should put your skin on the table." I think that's especially true of Sadegh Hedayat. Growing up sickly and weak he spent most of his early life isolated and alone in his Tehran house. Selected to study engineering at an esteemed Parisian university, Sadegh spent a year there before attempting suicide due to a love affair. After returning to Tehran, he spent the rest of his life devoting his time to the study of Western Literature. Making a living translating the works of Checkov, Kafka and Poe he became a scholar of literature. However, through his life a cloud of depression followed him culminating with his suicide in Paris when he was 48. His masterpiece, The Blind Owl, details the reaches of his depression in a surreal nightmare.
Ironically, Sadegh Hedayat, an obscure writer from Iran, is most likely the most brilliant author I have read. Reading through the book you can clearly see is influences: Kafka-Alienation, Nietszche-Eternal Recurrance, Poe-Unreliable Narrator and Jung-The Shadow. Combining all of these together, Sadegh writes a book that is by no exaggeration, mind-blowing. It's impossible to describe the effect that this book has. What I will try to explain about Jung I think in some ways can only be understood if you read the book.
This is far out, but in a weird way, I would argue that this book transcends reality. Carl Jung, a Swiss Psychologist, is famous for his theories on something called the Collective Unconscious(CU). (Hedayat was huge reader of Jung) Jung argues that all human beings are connected with a "Collected Unconscious" that dictates their nature. What does that mean? If I had to explain, you could think of it as two people who were born on opposite sides of the globe. He argues that these two people in completely different cultures, environments, and surroundings would both resemble each other in nature. In general, they both would hold morals, have similar views toward family etc. Now obviously this is impossible to prove with technology so Jung uses dreams instead. He states that all humans are connected through dreams. These dreams all share symbols of the Child, Hero/Heroine, Great Mother, Wise Old Man, and Death. In this way we are all connected.
How does this relate to The Blind Owl? Hedayat uses all of these symbols and intertwines them together. His narrator, dreams of these symbols which end up influencing the novel. Hedayat is able to access our consciousness through these intertwining of symbols. I think this is the most complex psychological novel I have ever read.
Anyway, I loved this book, and in a way, I almost wish I don't read a book that's better. Immensely beautiful imagery followed by fantastic prose, it's a shame that this book isn't more well known. I would also shy away from reading this to feel better, it's not exactly uplifting.
This book is most likely the most artistic and therefore the best depiction of depression, mania, and alienation in literature. Louis Ferdinand-Celine, author of Journey to the End of The Night, wrote in his book "When you write, you should put your skin on the table." I think that's especially true of Sadegh Hedayat. Growing up sickly and weak he spent most of his early life isolated and alone in his Tehran house. Selected to study engineering at an esteemed Parisian university, Sadegh spent a year there before attempting suicide due to a love affair. After returning to Tehran, he spent the rest of his life devoting his time to the study of Western Literature. Making a living translating the works of Checkov, Kafka and Poe he became a scholar of literature. However, through his life a cloud of depression followed him culminating with his suicide in Paris when he was 48. His masterpiece, The Blind Owl, details the reaches of his depression in a surreal nightmare.
Ironically, Sadegh Hedayat, an obscure writer from Iran, is most likely the most brilliant author I have read. Reading through the book you can clearly see is influences: Kafka-Alienation, Nietszche-Eternal Recurrance, Poe-Unreliable Narrator and Jung-The Shadow. Combining all of these together, Sadegh writes a book that is by no exaggeration, mind-blowing. It's impossible to describe the effect that this book has. What I will try to explain about Jung I think in some ways can only be understood if you read the book.
This is far out, but in a weird way, I would argue that this book transcends reality. Carl Jung, a Swiss Psychologist, is famous for his theories on something called the Collective Unconscious(CU). (Hedayat was huge reader of Jung) Jung argues that all human beings are connected with a "Collected Unconscious" that dictates their nature. What does that mean? If I had to explain, you could think of it as two people who were born on opposite sides of the globe. He argues that these two people in completely different cultures, environments, and surroundings would both resemble each other in nature. In general, they both would hold morals, have similar views toward family etc. Now obviously this is impossible to prove with technology so Jung uses dreams instead. He states that all humans are connected through dreams. These dreams all share symbols of the Child, Hero/Heroine, Great Mother, Wise Old Man, and Death. In this way we are all connected.
How does this relate to The Blind Owl? Hedayat uses all of these symbols and intertwines them together. His narrator, dreams of these symbols which end up influencing the novel. Hedayat is able to access our consciousness through these intertwining of symbols. I think this is the most complex psychological novel I have ever read.
Anyway, I loved this book, and in a way, I almost wish I don't read a book that's better. Immensely beautiful imagery followed by fantastic prose, it's a shame that this book isn't more well known. I would also shy away from reading this to feel better, it's not exactly uplifting.