Virgin of Solitude [Persian Language]

The Virgin of Solitude centers on the life of a young man, Nuri Zargham, and his Austrian grandmother, who settled in Iran after her marriage to Nuri’s grandfather. Following the loss of his father in an accident and his mother’s departure for the United States, Nuri is confronted with a profound sense of loneliness. His grandmother, who is herself not unfamiliar with feelings of alienation, attempts to acquaint Nuri with his inner feelings. Nuri’s emotional turmoil coincides with the beginnings of the revolution in Iran. The upheavals surrounding the revolution envelope Nuri’s family and change the course of his life.

Taghi Modarressi was born in Tehran in 1931. After completing his studies in medicine at University of Tehran he moved to the US where he continued his studies. Upon completion of his education, he became a member of the department of psychiatry of the University of Maryland. The Virgin of Solitude is his last and fifth novel. His previous novels, Yakolia and Her Loneliness, Sharif Jan, Sharif Jan, The Book of Absent People, and The Pilgrim’s Rules of Etiquette, were written and published in Persian. English translations of The Book of Absent People and The Pilgrim’s Rules of Etiquette, undertaken by the author, were published in the United States. He was married to the well-known novelist Anne Tyler. He passed away in 1997.