The book “Saji” by Behnaz Zarabizadeh, includes the memories of Nasrin Bagherzadeh. The fifth edition of this book was published by Soore Mehr in conjunction with the anniversary of Khorramshahr’s release this year, with a new cover and layout.

Nasrin Bagherzadeh is a girl from Khorramshahr who had a great life with her husband, Bahman Bagheri and, the thought of war would never cross her mind, but when the war started, all of a sudden she had to face so many new challenges. she spent the first new days of the war in the city but then had to leave Khorramshahr and go to Shiraz with other women of the family, while their men remained behind to protect the city.

This book would be better called the story of the days of war in which you read about the role of women in war and their resistance alongside men. The story begins years before the war and when the main character was still a child and reaches its peak with the start of the war.

Behnaz Zarabizadeh, the author of this book, has already written other books such as “Sheena’s Daughter” and “Eleventh Golestan” and this time she is going for a woman from Khorramshahr and her life under bullets and fire. So far, both English and Arabic editions have been published.

Kianoosh Nourshahi, a literary scholar, introduced this book and gave his opinion on it in a note he wrote for the Mehr news agency for publication.

The note is as follows:

A sad story cannot be sweet even if we hear it in the warm and charming language of Nasrin, the southern lady and wife of martyr Bahman Bagheri. “Saji” by Behnaz Zarabizadeh, begins with pain, illness and homelessness during the prevalence of typhus. It continues until the destruction of World War II, and with the end of it, the season of life, happiness, peace, celebrations and marriage begins. But, it seems that the peace will not last. Nasrin’s father, whom she loved very much, died. But then, despite her age, she feels a strong love within her.

With the beginning of Bahman and Nasrin’s love and marriage, a short joy and happiness can be felt in the story. That morning, when she woke up, and the house was full of excitement, of passion, of those beautiful lights in the yard with the smell of Esfand, of flowers, and of sweets; at this exact moment, you just want to close the book and end the story so that Nasrin can still be happy with her husband and children, but that’s not going to happen.

The story changes a lot with the beginning of the Iran-Iraq war. Now, for several seasons, the reader follows Nasrin and Bahman through the war, under bullets and fire, with the smell of blood and the cries of women.

The author, who quickly and skillfully recounts the first events of the story, at this point goes through it with more passion to tell us all the details.

Among all these tragedies, Nasrin and Bahman’s love sweetens the story a bit more but then, with the death of “Saaji” Bahman and Nasrin’s newborn baby, the story becomes even more painful. “I smelled the scent of the colored piece on the small table in front of the stroller. They smelled like Sajedeh’s little hands and suddenly I felt like nothing mattered. I hated Bahman. I felt like she had sacrificed herself for Bahman, for Khorramshahr, Ababdan, for Bahman’s aspirations and aspirations. I hate war…” Nasrin said.

This battle was also a huge burden on Bahman’s shoulders, like when he told Nasrin to forgive him all these troubles and tragedies and even wished death!

“Saji” and stories like this show us how women fought alongside their men and tried to resist and not give up.