Reza Ghassemi’s debut novel, Woodwind Harmony in the Nighttime, was first published in 1996 and went on to win several literary awards in its original Persian. Now, Deep Vellum is publishing it in English for the first time. Michelle Quay, who co-edited Routledge Handbook of Persian Literary Translation, was tasked with translating the novel from Persian.
Coming out on March 17, 2026, the book is about an Iranian exile in 1990s Paris whose live unravels into a surreal mystery. The book is now available for pre-order.
Debutiful is honored to reveal the cover, designed by Elisha Zepeda, along with a Q&A with Michelle Quay about how the American cover of this Persian classic came to be.
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