Nation and Novel

The emergence of nation-states in the Middle East during the early decades of the 20th century is more or less parallel to the emergence of a new narrative discourse, namely the novel. The present work provides an analysis of the rise of the Persian and Kurdish novel, using as its background specific definitions and theories of the novel and its emergence. Considering the novel as an originally European genre, the study looks at the different prerequisites for its emergence in the Middle East, particularly in the Persian and Kurdish context. The study investigates the emergence of the novel and its development in the case of a nation-state (the Persian) and compares it with the case of a stateless nation (the Kurdish). Furthermore, through analysis and close reading of Persian and Kurdish novels the author intends to scrutinise their various political, social and cultural characteristics. The study also investigates the contribution of the novel to nationalism and nation building and whether there is any affinity between the appearance of the novel as a genre and its development with the rise of the Iranian and Kurdish nationalism.