When Iran censors a love story

Tired of his dark and bitter stories, writer Shahriar Mandanipour realizes that the real world has enough death, destruction, and sadness. So he decides to set a love story in contemporary Iran. Threatened by the country's harsh censorship, he scribbles lines, abandons scenes, and brings to light the contrasts between the sensual and glorious Persian poetic tradition and the puritanical tyranny of modern-day Iran. With sentences full of irony and indignation, the author sheds light on the paradoxes surrounding those politically persecuted and celebrates the liberating power of literature and love.