White Marriage

White Marriage

 Author: Behrooz Arzhangpoor

Publisher: Keykavoos

Year of publishing: 2016

Subject: Fiction/ (novel)

No. of Pages: 376

Size: 14×21

ISBN: 9786007840276

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◙ English text is available.

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About the book:

Manuchehr was born and was brought up in a relatively religious and middle- class family. He is quite supported by his family and is under its influence but as he studied in the schools of well-to-do, higher class of the society, he is influenced by the manners and behaviors of his friends of the higher social class of his own family’s class. Shirin, another character of the story, also belongs to a religious, prejudiced and middle- class family. She is a student of Persian literature and has Feminist thoughts. Manuchehr and Shirin are studying in the same university and fall in each other’s love but Shirin has to be very cautious in communicating and having the relationship with Manuchehr because of his Father and brother’s viewpoints and consideration. Thus, she insists on him to have a legal relationship and with the awareness of their families. She forces Manuchehr to propose her from her family and when Manuchehr goes to Shirin’s home for proposal with his family, Shirin’s father for their marriages brings forth very difficult situations that Manuchehr can’t afford them.Manuchehr convinces Shirin that instead of accepting to these difficult situations for formal marriage, like western youth, rent a house and live together as a couple informally and without their families’ awareness. Shirin accepts Manuchehr’s idea temporarily and up to the time, Manuchehr becomes able to afford the situations brought forward from her father but….

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The committed writer of this book strives to bring forward moral and social abnormalities in a popular way and in this valuable work, he chose the subject of ‘white marriage’ as his story theme. This issue that is pattern copied from western social and cultural elements and it is a boy and girl live together even in the same house to become familiar with each other before formal marriage. In Iran’s society culture and religious beliefs this issue cannot be tolerated and leads to many abnormalities in this society.   This book could scrutinize influential factors in the youth persuading to informal marriages (white marriage) in societies with religious and spiritual beliefs and cultures.

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About the Author:

Dr. Behrooz Arzhangpoor (1966/Iran-Naghadeh) 

Dr.Behrooz Arzhangpoor is an Iranian active physician, author, poet and research in the field of literature, linguistics, poetry and social issues He penned articles and books, in fiction in particular, more than twenty years and has given lectures in prominent literary and scientific meetings and conferences in Iran and abroad. Arzhangpoor is one of the few Iranian authors has penned on syllable poetic style and known as the founder of a new poetic style of syllabic-stop-stress. His book named” syllabic-stop-stress Meter “was the first book that is written in Iran and the world. Arzhangpoor married and is the father of two children and now lives in Iran. Meanwhile, treating medically in Tehran hospitals, he writes and research constantly in Literature and Poem as well. At present, Dr. Arzhangpoor has engaged in composing a long Epopee named as title “Love- letters of Sacred Defense”. In this valuable book, the writer narrates Iranian peoples’ resistance and courageous against rapists in contemporary time .The first Volume of the series has been published recently.

Some of his published books:

1- “Syllabic-stop-stress Meter” Keykavoos Publications, Tehran, 2015.

2-” Love- letters of Sacred Defense”, Raz Institute, Tehran, 2014.

3-“Promise of Miracles”, Keykavoos Publications, Tehran, 2014.

4-“Thirteen (13-volume set)”,Raz Institute ,Tehran, 2015.

5-” Persian Break time”, Raz Institute,Tehran, 2015.

6-“White Marriage”, Keykavoos Publications,Tehran, 2014.

7- “The Legand of Mayour”, Keykavoos Publications, Tehran, 2013.

8-“Barn”, Keykavoos Publications,Tehran, 2013.

9. “Children’s Village”, of Raz Institute, Tehran, 2015.

10.” Azerbaijan”, of Raz Institute,Tehran, 2015.

11.” The Culture of Driving 13-volume set”, Raz Institute, Tehran, 2016

12.”Culture of Civilizenship , Raz Institute, Tehran 2016.

 Sample Pages:

Imamzade Hasan

The voice of the muezzin can be heard from the Imamzade Hasan mosque: Allah u Akbar, Allah u Akbar .Hasan and Reza are on the motorbike and are passing through Imamzade Street… they reach LalehZar Street of Tehran. The sound of music can be heard from a tape-selling store: “labe karoon, che golbaroon” (the tape playing) then they turn to a street leading to 24^th of Isfand Square.

(Tehran cinema)

• Cinema is going to show a new movie Hasan.
• What’s its name Reza?
• The movie of Joseph and Zuleikha.
• You mean they have made the movie of Prophet Joseph (peace be upon him)!
• Yes, it is said to be a great movie.
• So let’s ask permission from my Daddy, and then we can go and see it.
• How fool you are, what are going to say to your father?
• Nothing special, I tell him Reza and I am going to go to the cinema.
• You think your daddy will say: oh dear Hasan, you can go, I hope you enjoy your time with Reza!! Don’t you know we are still kids!?
• We are no longer kids, we are thirteen and we have grown into men.
• Yes Hasan, we think so, but they believe that we are still kids.
• Then what do you recommend?
• Nothing, we go to cinema without asking for permission.
• What if they find out?
• You are a coward Hasan!! Who is going to see us?

                                                                               ***

(A day later)

• Reza it’s too crowded at the cinema!
• You call it crowded Hasan? There’s no room to swing a cat
• Let’s forget about going to cinema, with this crow I don’t think we could even take a ticket!
• How despairing you are! Be a little patient!
• Come on, I waited, what then?
• Nothing, we simply enter through the crowd, there’s no other way, just push me through the crowd.
• Reza let’s forget about it, we will suffocate among this crowd!
• Don’t worry, nothing bad will happen, let’s get started.
• I really don’t know what to tell you boy! We managed to get out among this crowd alive and we also got the tickets.
• Reza, Reza?
• What’s happened Hasan?
• Brother Muhammad! We are done, run, let’s hide somewhere.
• Hasan slow down boy, what’s going to happen if he sees us!!
• Reza I will be dead!
• Wait, your brother is on the other side, he won’t see us anymore, if coming to cinema is wrong why is he here himself?!!
• It’s not wrong for them, it’s wrong for us.

By seeing his brother Muhammad, Hasan ran to the end of the hall with Reza, and waited there for the right time to enter the show hall without attracting any attention.

***

It was a special rumpus out of the cinema and everyone was struggling to make a living.

Cinema Tehran was located on the 24^th Isfand square, a place which always had a heavy traffic and maybe it was considered as the most crowded place in Tehran, there were also many cinemas around the square. On the front of Tehran cinema, due to Joseph and Zuleikha movie, the crowd was more obvious than anywhere else, and everyone has flattened his stand there to sell goods.

• Seeds! Sunflower seeds of Uncle Nemat! Seeds with lemon flavor! Come on buy a pack, you will regret if you don’t, come on its Amu Nemat’s sunflower seeds!

A few steps from Amu Nemat, the seeds seller, it was the sandwiches stand of Mashhadi Ali:

Come on, come here, I have egg sandwich, sausage sandwich! Fresh sandwiches!! The best sandwiches ever. Eat and enjoy, come on it’s undersell.

Mashhadi¹ Ali was a middle-aged man who has settled his sandwich stand on a few empty boxes, he was shouting exactly in front of the cinema on the side of the ditch. The ditch had no water in it and Mashhadi Ali was right inside it because he had full view of his sandwich stand from this view. He was very tall, but whenever he went to the ditch half a meter was reduced from his height, and consequently from his tallness awe. Although he had widened a plastic nylon on the sandwiches, they were clouded with flies and Mashhadi Ali made them fly regularly. With that huge body, he couldn’t defeat the flies.

Beside the sandwich stand, Hasan Doughi (a person who sells dough) has flattened his stand. A blue handcart in which he has embedded a large earthen jar, and there was a glass on the jar on which there was some red earthen glasses. He was a short man and was easily hidden behind his handcart. Although he was only 35, the difficulty of life had well put its trace on his face and

1. Mashhadi is a person who has been to Mashhad and has visited Imam Reza (peace be upon him as a pilgrim)
2. He seemed as if he was forty six or seven. He also desired to make the most out of that crowded market in front of the cinema and he was shouting ceaselessly with his Gilaki accent:

             Come on, come, Hasan Doughi is here, I got perfect local Dough (a beverage based on yogurt)!

The cigarette man has set up his stand in a carton box and he has hung it from his neck and was shouting:

• Cigarettes, cigarettes, I have Zar cigarettes, hand-made cigarettes, come on I have the best western brands, I got original three-lined Winston, Marlboro-lovers come here! I got any kind of cigarette that you desire. Buy cigarette only from Cyrus Cigari. Come here dudes, Cyrus is here.

Cyrus was a young twenty-five-year-old boy whose profession has always been selling cigarettes around 24^th of Isfand square; however, he had never smoked even a cigarette all his life.

The smell of Javad Jigaraki (a person who sells liver) was a call to his customers from meters away. The livers on the charcoal barbecues of Javad Jigaraki were making such a smoke that aroused everybody’s appetite. Javad Jiagaraki (a person who sells liver) has flattened his stand next to the ditch and was shouting:

• Come here, I got sheep’s liver and heart, I got sheep’s kidney. Come on, it’s getting over.

Javad Jigaraki was a man of fifty; he was from Azerbaijan and with his Turkish accent was continuously marketing his livers.

In front of the cinema they were all present except for the Kermanshahi brother who joined the market a little later, in no time he was present in front of the cinema and has begun shouting:

• Come on, there are only a few lottery tickets remaining. Today is Tuesday and tomorrow night the lottery result will be announced. Maybe you are the lucky winner of this week’s lottery, you become fortunate. Hurry, there are only a few tickets remaining.A few meters away there was a graceful young man shouting:
• Come on, I got Alaska ice-cream. I got colorful ice-creams. I’ve brought icy Alaska ice-cream. It’s getting finished, hurry. Eat and cool down.

Hearing the vendors and most probably aroused by the smell of the foods, Reza took a meaningful look at Hasan:

• Do we have anything to eat?
• I only have the milk and cake which was given to us at school as nutrition, what about you Reza?
• Oh Hasan! You have done the best! I got nothing and neither do I have extra money! Even I sorted the ticket’s money with difficulty.

In front of the cinema has nothing less than a peep show and everybody was struggling. Some people wanted to enter the cinema, and some where juicing up their own trading.

The previous movie’s show-time has finished only a few minutes ago and the spectators were leaving the through the exit doors, and a large crowd at the waiting room were waiting for the entrance doors to get opened. More crowded than anywhere else was the cinema’s buffet. Spectators who has not provided any snacks out of the cinema where trying to provide them from the buffet, some people were impatiently waiting behind the entrance doors to get opened so that they could storm inside the hall and take the best seats; because the tickets had no number on them. Those getting inside the hall late, had no place to sit and were obliged to watch the movie to the end while standing.

Eventually the doors were opened and only in a few seconds, the waiting room was evacuated and there were no one else in the waiting room except Reza and Hasan, some people who were in front of the buffet and the agent who were conducting the audiences into the showing hall.

Hasan and Reza waited for the light to be turned off to enter the hall in darkness so that Hasan’s brother doesn’t see them; due to this reason they had to watch the movie standing.

Joseph and Zuleikha movie has been started. Even in the show-hall some of the buffet’s staff didn’t stop trading; a vendor who had hung a small box over his neck and had some pockets of sunflower seeds in it, was softly saying: seeds, seeds, all kinds of seeds. Another vendor was selling cigarettes and someone else was selling Alaska ice-cream and they were distracting the audiences’ attention. The audiences were constantly shouting and saying that be quiet man we are watching the movie, no one is buying from you!

***

(Imamzade Hasan’ district)

The minarets of Imamzade Hasan Mosque was broadcasting the evening Azan: Allah u Akbar, Allah u Akbar

• Bahram hurry! Pass the ball to me! What the hell are you doing boy?! You threw the ball out!
• Hasan I had a good position, but the ball didn’t perch on my foot otherwise it would have been surely right inside the goal.
• Hasan it’s Azan time. We won’t reach the congregational prayer.
• Yep you are right Reza. Guys we are going to attend the congregational prayer.
• Hey! Hasan, Reza it’s not the deal, your leaving in the middle of the game, if this is what you do, we would not play football with you anymore.
• Guys we will make up for that. You can come to the congregational prayer if you like.

Hasan and Reza ran toward the Imamzade Hasan mosque so that they could attend the congregational prayer, but Hasan was regretting what he has done and was whispering to himself: boy this isn’t right to leave the game unfinished and ruin everything, poor boys! I should have told them beforehand that I will leave at the Azan time, but it’s passed and may God forgive me. The next time I mustn’t treat them this way because it’s not fair.

• Reza, Reza! How lucky we are boy! We arrived just on time otherwise we should have said the evening prayer individually.
• Hasan we are not that much on time. With the Allah u Akbars that we said while entering the mosque, we would not be able to attend the congregational prayer at any means if the Mullah had not endured the Ruku¹.
• Anyway Reza! We attended the congregational prayer and we will get the Savab (a reward from God for doing good deeds), this is what matters not anything else.

Usually after congregational prayers people used to gather around the Mullah to ask their questions and they talked to him alone in order to discuss more private matters. Mullah Kazemi had always considered people’s problems and issues with amiability.

• What’s this land reforms with which they are going to outfox people, Mullah Kazemi?! They are apparently going to take farming lands from the Feudalists and big landowners and give them to farmers; surely this Muhammad Reza (previous king of Iran) has a trick in his head. But it will turn out later on! Yet, he, bastard, for his own good and for the sake of demagoguery says that I’ve done white revolution! God damn you with your stupid revolution!!!
• Mashhadi Ghorban, these aren’t your words!! Who told them to you?!
• I’ve heard these words from the son of Haj Abdullah who has been released from prison two months ago. I mean Mahmud. He has met you before, you know him Mullah!
• Yes, Mashhadi Ghorban, tell Mahmud to come and visit me whenever he could, and you don’t talk about these matters anywhere else.
• These father and son are first-hand traitors; they sell state-factories with the excuse that they are going to make them a support for land reforms and spuriously say they are going to give a share of factories’ benefit to the workers. Moreover, in order to outwit the women, they have given them the right to vote and hold fake Referendums each year to guarantee their own legitimation.
• You seem to be double-baked Mashhadi Ghorban, it’s the world’s rule, always the strong has oppressed the weak, and it has always been so. Did your son, Morteza, who was seeking for a job found one?
• Hajji, thanks to God he has found a job. It’s not a well-paid job, but it’s better than nothing, at least he earns some! It is called mobilization hygiene. They go to villages and vaccinate, if I am right about its name, the villagers.
• Mullah I think those two guys have something to tell you, I should leave you. Goodbye.
• May God protect you, remember what I recommended you.
• You mean Mr. Mahmud? Sure!

Mashhadi Ramazan, approaching the two guys, says:

• Here you go, it’s your turn.

Those two guys walk toward Mullah Kazemi.

• May your prayer be accepted?
• May be accepted from almighty God.
• Mullah Kazemi, Mr. Rahman and do not manage to come to an agreement about a trade and we ask you to judge between us.
• Morteza if I could do anything and if I find out your problem I will surely tell you my idea.
• Mullah, last week Mr. Rahman demanded a hundred pack of sacks, I didn’t have that much available at my store, so I ordered some from the factory. Mr. Rahman paid half of the sacks’ money and was supposed to give the next half at the time of delivery that is next week, but during this week the factory has raised the price a little, and now I believe we should he should pay me based on the new price but Mr. Rahman says he pays me based on the last week’s price. Now we are here at your presence mullah Kazemi so that you solve our problem.
• Actually I am not good at trades, but if you ask my opinion I would say: as Mr. Rahman has paid half of the price in cash, you should consider the old price for half of the goods, because you have taken half of the money. But about the other half, as you have not received any money from him you should consider the new price. That is my idea, yet if you are not convinced you can consult the law to solve your problem.
• Mullah your words will suffice, it’s a lot worthier than any law code. I do accept your offer; our problem is solved if Mr. Rahman accepts as well.
• Mullah Kazemi I also accept your offer and your judgment was truly fair.

Mullah Kazemi has clarified his opinion but his mind was very obsessed, and was floating in his own thoughts:

May God help me to have judged fairly, they put all the pressure of judgment on me and release themselves from it! May God help me, how am I going to give response for my deeds in the world to come? Oh God you know I do my best to be fair. Oh creator of the existence helps me, do not neglect your servants, and do not leave us alone even for a single second.

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10/09/2018