On Tuesday, November 12, 2024, a “Meet the Author” event with Shams Langeroodi was held at Bookland Marquis to celebrate the publication of “Those Who Came to My House.” At this meeting, which was met with a warm reception from readers and fans of Shams Langeroodi, the author, in a sincere and intimate atmosphere, described the creative process behind this novel.
He also recalled a memory of visiting a psychiatric hospital with Dr. Akasheh, a psychiatrist, to meet and interview patients. He described how the patients’ disconnection from reality led to the creation of some of the characters in this book and in his first novel, “Parade on Hollow Ground.”
Shams Langeroodi, a poet, researcher, lecturer, and author, wrote “Those Who Came to My House” in 2015 and, nearly a decade later, decided to change the book’s ending. In this session, he explained how the idea for this novel traces back to his childhood memories in his hometown, Langarud. He elaborated on the roots of stereotypical beliefs in societies, the hidden metaphors within them, and how the book’s story is told through a first-person singular narrative based on historical events.
During a portion of the ceremony, attendees had the opportunity to ask Shams Langeroodi questions, and the renowned author answered each one patiently and in detail.
Shams spoke about his favorite Iranian poets, the relationship between image, word, and speech, the influence of an author’s lived experience on their work, and metaphor as a subtle critique of societies and intellectuals.
At the end, Shams Langeroodi thanked his wife, Farzaneh Davari, referring to her as the first reader of his works and a fair critic.
