In November 1955, Nasser Ali Khan, one of the most famous tar players in Iran, is in search of a new instrument. His beloved tar has broken. However, no matter what tar he tries, none sounds right. Distressed, Nasser Ali Khan decides that life is no longer worth living. He withdraws to his bed, renouncing the world and all its joys. This is the story of the eight days he spends preparing for the delivery of his soul. As the days pass and Nasser Ali Khan weakens, his loved ones - his wife, his children, his brothers - gather around him, anxious, in an attempt to comfort him. Each visitor brings forth a memory, and throughout this week, Nasser Ali Khan relives his entire life, a life defined by three relationships. He remembers his late mother, who sacrificed everything for his rebellious brother but who also, in the last week of her life, found solace only in smoking and listening to him play his tar. He remembers his angry wife, who cannot forgive him for his melancholy and irresponsibility. And Irane, his first love, whose father forbade her to marry a poor musician, causing the wound that fueled his music. The pieces of Nasser Ali Khan's story slowly start falling into place, and as they do, we begin to understand him. When the eighth day dawns, having seen Nasser Ali Khan conversing with Sufi mystics, Sophia Loren, the spirit of his late mother, his own demons, and bravely, with Azrael, the angel of death – we feel privileged to have known him. Marjane Satrapi masterfully weaves together the past, present, and future to explore the successes and joys, the failures and disappointments of Nasser Ali Khan's life and, through his story, the meaning of our own lives. She also presents a complex and deeply human portrait of the men and women of her country, as well as pre-revolutionary Iran. She submits this wonderful story about life and death, and the fear and courage that both require, with her characteristic humor and insight. Chicken With Plums is Marjane Satrapi's finest work to date.

Pages: 96

Dimensions: 17.4x17.4cm