About the Book: Martyr! is the debut novel by Iranian-American poet Kaveh Akbar, following 27-year-old Cyrus Shams, a newly sober poet grappling with the trauma of his mother’s death in the 1988 Iran Air Flight 655 disaster and his father’s struggles in America. Haunted by grief and addiction, Cyrus embarks on a quest to understand martyrdom, leading him to a terminally ill Iranian artist, Orkideh, staging her final performance at the Brooklyn Museum. Through a blend of poetic prose, shifting perspectives, and surreal sequences, the novel delves into themes of identity, legacy, and the search for meaning in a fractured world. Martyr! has been lauded for its inventive narrative and emotional depth, marking Akbar as a significant voice in contemporary fiction.