We are happy! Yesterday the WDR published an extremely positive review of Djafari's debut novel "One Week, One Life". Journalist and author Ulrich Noller writes:
"Sounds like “literature with a migration background” and largely agrees Nassir Djafari However, this factor only plays a role in a homeopathic dose: He was born in Iran in 1952 and has lived in Germany since 1957. Nassir Djafari is an economist, he has dedicated his professional life to development work, has published in this context and also scientifically, but so far not literary. His first novel “One week, one life” (Sujet Verlag, Euro 24) is a late debut – with an astonishing genesis. The story is about a middle-aged man, scientist, single parent, who has to realize that, how can this happen, he has almost completely lost contact with his son, who is about to graduate from high school. It turns out that the two take a trip together to Peru, where the father lived and worked years ago; various things happen there after which nothing is the same as before. So a father-son story – and also a son-father story: Doubly duped because the German part is told from the father's point of view, while the Peruvian part is told from the son's point of view. Impressive how deeply and precisely the novel measures the psychology of this relationship, full of empathy for both, but with enough distance to gain insights. This in turn is reflected in the language, Nassir Djafari talks with sober warmth, sounds paradoxical, but works exactly like that. And offers one aha experience after the next. In any case, there is a debutant who does not have to prove anything to anyone, who can be fully involved in himself and his story, intelligent and without any vanity, always connected to the matter, the topic - this is mature literature in the very best sense, excellent."
Ulrich Noller, WDR Cosmo on Tuesday, April 8th, 2020
Those: https://blog.wdr.de/nollerliest/dreifach-doppelt-gemoppelt/
"The book scene is also suffering from Corona.." - A few days after the publication of his review, Ulrich Noller also spoke live on the COSMO radio network about Djafari's novel. Here are the first introductory minutes, as well as some comments on the influence of the current Corona crisis on the literary scene:
The Complete Radio Commentary on Djafari's "One Week, One Life"
