Landscapes of a Distant Mother - Hardcover

SAID, who publishes only under his first name for security reasons, was born in Tehran in 1947 and has lived in Munich since 1965. He is the author of several books, only one of which, Be to Me the Night: Love Poems, has been translated into English. The recipient of numerous awards, including the Premio Letterario Internazionale "Jean Monnet" and the German PEN Center's Hermann-Kesten Medal, he served as president of the German PEN Center and director of the Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN.

"SAID is an Iranian-born exile, long resident in Germany where he has become a literary star. However, for his books, he still uses his first name only, apparently for reasons of security. In this book, his first to appear in English, he has produced an eloquent memoir of both his mother country and his real mother, from whom he was separated when he was very young. Tributes have poured in for this sparse and unillusioned account of loss and dislocation, which deals with the psychological consequences of a homelessness that is national and cultural just as much as familial."
(Financial Times 2004-05-15)

"The Iranian-born SAID has been exiled in Germany for over 35 years and writes in German. He uses only his last name for what he claims are security reasons. Yet he packs volumes into this brief, poetic memoir. How does one prepare to meet a mother seen only once since birth? The book follows his preparations for the meeting, the meeting itself, and then the aftereffects, which lasted ten years before he could write about it. The portrait he presents is of a man trying hard not to be swallowed up by his mother's love and of a strict, self-centered woman who is faithful to a regime he long ago left behind. Readers quickly realize that this woman has reappeared merely to exonerate herself from blame. Once that is accomplished, her son fades back into nonexistence. 'We did not become lovers,' he confesses, startling readers with his choice of words. This book fascinates with its detailed portrait of a foreign culture and forges an emotional connection with anyone who's ever been a son, daughter, or mother."

(Rochelle Ratner Library Journal)

“Landscapes of a Distant Mother is as political a book as it is personal and one of the most moving books that have been written in German-language literature in recent years.” (Der Standard)

“A book you read in one sitting. . . . SAID’s short sentences, and his careful, tender, and precise language, keep the reader captivated by this drama.” (Süddeutsche Zeitung)

“An eloquently brief and moving statement of farewell to a mother and to a country, in which love attempts to win out over anger.” (Le Monde)