“Drawing on his encyclopedic knowledge of modern Persian literature, and using a contemplative and an extremely eloquent language, Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak captures the mood of different time-periods of contemporary Iranian history by analyzing a wide range of literary events – topics, personalities, encounters – which travel across a variety of disciplines. A Fire of Lilies is a significant contribution to the field of Persian studies, and it is indeed a very pleasant read.”
— M.M. Khorrami, Professor Emeritus of Persian Language and Literature, New York University
"Karimi-Hakkak’s wide-ranging and original collection of essays is an essential reading for any student or scholar of Persian literature and culture. The author’s profound knowledge of Iran’s modernist literature and his innovative approach to rethink the relationship of literature and politics challenge some of the current assumptions and misunderstandings about this massively underexplored area of research. Through a remarkably rich examination of history, politics and literature, Karimi-Hakkak explores some of the most important yet underexplored shifting points in the history of modern Persian literature."
— Fatemeh Shams, Assistant Professor of Modern Persian Literature, University of Pennsylvania