“Hidden Violence in the Land of Adam’s Letyas” is the name of a book by “Shapour Joraksh”, a writer and critic residing in Shiraz. Shapour Joraksh was born in 1329 in the city of Fasa, in the province of Fars. He continued his education until receiving a Master’s degree in English language and literature from Shiraz University, and taught at the university until 1358. He was also the head of the Theater Committee at Shiraz University from 1354 to 1356.

Shapur Jorokesh, in his book “Women: Nurturers of the Earth and Refuge of the Earthlings”, delves into the analysis of hidden violence in different aspects of our lives through examining historical, literary, and mystical texts. With his knowledge of Iranian literature, he also mentions some examples of feminist poetry. The term “Adam Lethiha” meaning “half-human” or “half-humans” is used by the author in the context of analyzing gender history in Iran, and is also the title of the book. This book refers to Iran as a land of male minds with a male history, and reads the story of violence against half-humans as parallel to the genocide and violence of modernity.

At the beginning of this book, reference has been made to parts of Hannah Arendt’s theories which are the result of her great intellectual work, including totalitarianism, power, and revolution; and the differences between the French and Russian revolutions and the American Revolution have been discussed. The French and Russian revolutions were for the establishment of justice, while the American Revolution was for freedom. The first revolution ended in guillotines, beheading of opponents, and a reign of terror and violence, but the second revolution was able to achieve its ideals to some extent.

In the mentioned book, the transfer of violence from one generation to the next is referred to as a terrible inheritance. The literary history that criticizes women, equates them with dogs, considers reason as masculine and the soul as feminine, and at the same time praises love and creates diwans for it, is subjected to serious criticism: “In these diwans, there are so many loves that have gone mad and have not ended in complete humanity. Madness that has led to the destruction of half of society and people, drunk with this wine of love, seemed unaware that they were sitting on a branch and cutting it off… This is the same dualism that Shams Kasmi, Sadegh Hedayat, and Forough Farrokhzad emphasized and called on society to examine and diagnose its social and cultural damages.” However, Jorkesh sees most intellectuals as double-edged swords and considers them as both street butchers and slaves with chains on the streets, because

She calls on women to stand in front of the “Mirror of Enlightenment” and invites them to see and recognize their other half so that they do not remain as incomplete beings. She also believes that the constant observation of women – who make up half of the country’s population – has led to obvious discrimination, which has either been accompanied by laws against them or has resulted in silence and not speaking out, or if they have wanted to show their opposition, it has led to radicalism and self-immolation.

The Hidden Book of Violence in the Land of Adam Lattes was published only 4 days after its release, it was collected by the Book Administration and then its PDF was published in the virtual space with the permission and request of the author. Reading and introducing this book, especially since the author has waived all his material rights, is recommended to readers of the peace line.

Book Title: Covert Violence in the Land of Adam’s Letyas

Author: Shapour Joraksh

Publisher: Slow and Steady

Publication date: Autumn 1389