The book tells the story of a teenage boy Habib who lives with his family in the Balutak region. Like other people in the region, his family is suffering from the oppression of Ayyub Khan, the ruler of the region who lives in a fortress near Atashgah Mount. Khan imprisons Habib’s father and he is engaged in struggles to save his father.

As the Soviet Union, Russia waged a 10-year war in Afghanistan throughout the 1980s. A number of local rulers had to cooperate with the Soviets during the war.

The target group of the book published by Saad is teenage readers.

Modaqqeq’s novel “Russian Songs” was honored at the 11th Jalal Al-e Ahmad Literary Awards, Iran’s most lucrative literary prize, in 2018.

The story of “Russian Songs” is set during the 1980s when the Afghan people fought against the Soviet invaders.

“In our policy to promote the Persian language and to reinforce the cultural ties among the Persian-speaking nations, we plan to honor Ahmad Modaqeq whose book has been published by Shahrestan Adab,” Mehdi Qezeli, the director of the literary awards, said at that time.

“The Angels under the Rain” and “The Butterflies around the Tent” are among the credits of the 36-year-old writer.

Source:Tehran Times