The title of this novel, by Mehdi Hejvani, suggests the main alphabets of the word “Adam”, meaning Human. This may give the reader a short glimpse into the atmosphere of the narrative. Hejvani, one of the most prominent names in Iran’s literary scene, entangles legend and history, and creates a character, Hooman, who on the contrary to what would be pre-conceived notion, is not a prophet. Hooman is just a man, a mortal man, a man who falls in love, and struggles with humanly issues, although the author masterfully weaves some of stories of the prophets into the framework of his plot. The prose of Alef Dal Mim is another point of strength for this title. No wonder its writing took almost 10 years, for the author obsessively went through his book a number of times. The protagonist of this books is one man and is all the men. Reading it might seem like going through history and the history of myths and legends and epics and heroes. This also could be frightening, although the way the author has created this web of intertwined stories can be a memorable literary experience. Hooman’s fatigued and sleepless eyes from behind the dungeon’s bars had questioned the black complexion and lusterless of the sky above. Not even a delicate gust of wind. The night had come and its grave weigh, fallen on the city. Everyone was deep lost in their sleep, only to let the river awake, and the singing frogs and the lightning moths… Hooman, beaten and hurt, was wondering about a death, awaiting him at dawn.

Mehdi Hejvani, born in Tehran in 1960, is an Iranian author, researcher, editor, and translator. He holds a PhD of Research in Arts. Since 2009, he has been teaching and researching at Iran’s Azad University. Hejvani is the founder and editor of Iran’s Research Quarterly for Children and Young Adults Literature. He is also known for his critiques on children and young adults’ titles and for books he has written in this field. Mehdi Hejvani has won many awards, including Researcher of the Year (2007). Hejvani’s two books (Alef Dal Mim and A Sky Full of News) have been translated into Turkish, Russian, and Spanish.