An ant that became the guardian angel of a fighter
According to Iran Book News Agency (IBNA), the book “The Mystery of Fish Canal” by Akbar Sahraei, translated into English by Kotlaki Sofia, has been published. This work, with a humorous look at memories and situations related to the eight-year Iran-Iraq war, is considered one of the examples of defense literature in the form of a humorous story.
The mentioned book was first published in the 2000s (1380s in Persian calendar) by Elmi va Farhangi Publications, and its English translation is now available to those interested in works related to the war.
“The Mystery of Fish Canal” is one of the humorous yet thought-provoking stories of Sacred Defense literature for teenagers. It’s a narrative from the front lines that has nothing to do with the sound of explosions or bitter scenes; instead, it’s full of friendly jokes and a strange incident: the entry of an ant into a fighter’s ear!
The story begins with a familiar scene. One of the fighters, named Asghar, is busy writing a letter to his mother about a marriage proposal. But this calm atmosphere is suddenly disrupted by the shouts of his friend, Jalil; shouts not due to shrapnel or bullet pain, but because of a wandering ant in his ear. From here on, the story takes a humorous turn.
However, the humor in this story is not just for laughter. Akbar Sahraei has hidden a bitter and significant truth within these humorous events. Just as they have left the bunker and are preoccupied with Jalil’s ear, a mortar shell lands exactly in the middle of that bunker, leveling everything. Now, that small ant, which just moments ago had everyone frustrated, has somehow turned into a guardian angel.
In this work, the author, by narrating the story of several friends and comrades, has tried to portray the human, daily, and sometimes humorous aspects of being on the front lines from a different angle. In recent years, Akbar Sahraei has, by writing a collection of humorous works, re-presented the memories and experiences of fighters in a different format. In “The Mystery of Fish Canal,” too, by creating comic situations and using simple and intimate language, he tries to familiarize readers with an atmosphere that has been less recounted in a humorous form.
The English translation of this work can provide an opportunity for non-Iranian audiences to become familiar with a type of Iranian war literature that emphasizes human, social, and everyday situations.
