Zulaikha

Shelly Kawaja talks to Vancouver author Niloufar-Lily (Lily) Soltani, about her debut novel, Zulaikha (Inana Publications, 2024)

6 minutes read time.

Shelly Kawaja: This book is about an Iranian woman named, Zulaikha, and her search for her missing brother in the aftermath of the Iran and Iraq war. What inspired you to write it?

Lily Soltani: My primary inspiration for writing Zulaikha was my birthplace, Abadan, in Khuzestan province, Iran.  I was raised in Tehran, but my family visited Abadan for holidays every year and I have very pleasant childhood memories from that tropical port.  I lived in Abadan for a year a few months before Iran and Iraq war which changed my life in so many ways. My observations as a child and an adult hearing my relatives’ stories became the foundation of my novel.  Like my protagonist, Zulaikha, I was in search of something lost in me, perhaps more after moving to Canada and raising a daughter far from our roots, and writing Zulaikha unravelling unsolved mysteries helped me to explore and heal some old wounds, too.

Shelly Kawaja: Can you tell us a little about the name, Zulaikha, and how it is historically meaningful?

Lily Soltani: Zulaikha is a name known in the Middle East and taken by people from Khuzestan province more than other parts of Iran, perhaps another evidence of the influence of the Arab world in the Khuzestan vicinity. 

Historical or mythical, Zulaikha was the sensual wife of a high-ranking guard, Potiphar. Her infatuation for Joseph, the prophet, is the subject of a book of poetry (Yusuf and Zulaikha) by a Persian poet, Jami (1414-1492). Despite the lack of religious acceptance for Zulaikha’s love for Joseph, Jami showcases her love for Joseph through sympathetic lines like this:

Yusuf dear to her heart, his beauty her chain,
Like the moth to the flame, she danced in vain

Poetry is a theme in my novel, and Zulaikha the protagonist, loves poetry and she is in love with Assef, an unattainable man, like Joseph.

Shelly Kawaja: This book explores a number of important themes such as gender, race, class, and the tumultuous history of Iran, especially in Zulaikha’s home Khuzestan Province, the site of much of Iran’s oil reserves. What is the key message you would like readers to take away from this book?

Lily Soltani: As Nima Yooshij, (1895-1960) stated about himself as a poet, “I am like a river where you would scoop a bucket from any part of me,” a novel with various themes is like a river too.  In the novel, Khuzestan portrays a beautiful tropical landscape that transforms into a war zone, depicting headless palm trees and ruins as the consequences of living in proximity to dangerous borders where rich resources attract demons more than wealth for the people.  However, despite the weighty themes, I also wish that the readers enjoy Zulaikha’s love story, the lyrics, and the poetry within the novel, as a way of her journey learning non-violence resistance.

Shelly Kawaja: Zulaika is a woman who shows incredible strength of character. She is able to focus on beauty in the darkest and most challenging of times. How important is it to you to find beauty in the telling of a difficult story?

Lily Soltani: Zulaikha finds herself surrounded by various misfortunes at different junctures of her life.  As I wrote those parts, I also wanted to know how she could survive without losing integrity. I didn’t intend for the novel to feel too dark.  Windows to the fields, music, dance, and poetry were some of the essential tools to balance the novel the way I wanted it to be.

Shelly Kawaja: This is your first novel, but you are also you are also a poet. Did you continue to work on poetry while working on your novel?

Lily Soltani: While writing Zulaikha, I translated several pieces from Persian to English.  I selected the matching themes or the opposite: as I read a poem, it inspired me to develop the plot, such as Zulaikha’s take on solitude. This approach has been characteristic of my novel writing style, where poetry serves as both inspiration and an integral part of the narrative. I also enjoy incorporating songs and lyrics into the story, treating them as essential elements of the setting.

Shelly Kawaja: How long did it take you to write Zulaika?

Lily Soltani: It took a significant amount of time, roughly 8 to 10 years, for me to complete Zulaikha. But I don’t mean that I was writing it for so many years every day.  My full-time job limited my availability to devote myself to my novel writing.  Also, after I submitted multiple drafts to editors awaiting their feedback each time, made it a lengthy process that could have been more streamlined, so I learned my lessons the hard way.

Shelly Kawaja: Can you tell us a little about your process and how many drafts it took to bring this book to completion? And which do you prefer: writing the first draft, or editing and revising subsequent drafts?

Lily Soltani: Zulaikha had five or six drafts until I received the acceptance letter from the publisher. Writing Zulaikha has helped me to develop a practical process that works for me and my lifestyle. I write the first draft and edit and revise the subsequent drafts.

Shelly Kawaja: How do other people contribute to your writing practice?

Lily Soltani: I am a member of an online writing community and I engage in discussions and attend craft workshops and conferences. I reach out to my mentor for specific questions and when the manuscript is ready; I hire a substantial editor. 

Shelly Kawaja: How is your writing practice informed by a sense of writing to or for others? Do you have an audience in mind when you write?

Lily Soltani: As I write, I envision myself as the primary audience, allowing my words to flow freely and maintaining the authenticity of my voice. However, I keep two important factors in mind: firstly, I am writing primarily for English-language readers rather than Iranians, and secondly, the world is evolving, and my readers, especially the younger generation, maybe more accustomed to visual stimuli. Despite these considerations, my priority remains expressing myself authentically while also striving to engage and connect with my audience.

Shelly Kawaja: What’s next for Ninoufar-Lily Soltani? Are you working on something new?

Lily Soltani: I have two completed manuscripts, Lost Owls of Detroit, a short literary fiction with elements of noir and gothic, and Moon City, a literary crime fiction.  I am submitting both these to literary agents or publishers who accept unsolicited manuscripts. I have a novel in progress as well.

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